Five dead, two hurt in New Mexico plane crash

SIERRA BLANCA, NEW MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — Five people were killed and two others were seriously injured when a small plane carrying seven people crashed at an airport in south-central New Mexico on Thursday, federal officials said.

The crash happened just before 10 a.m. local time (12 p.m. EDT) at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, an airport located approximately 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Albuquerque.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the Cessna 310 – which was believed to be carrying 7 people aboard – crashed just off the end of the runway as it was landing at the airport “Five [are] confirmed fatal,” Lunsford said.

Two survivors – both teenagers – were airlifted to a local hospital in a critical condition. “The victims appear to be members of a family,” Lunsford said. A state police spokesman said rescue crews are searching through the wreckage to see if anyone else was on board.

Lunsford said it had no flight plan information for the aircraft, which was registered to Rod Aviation, LLC in Granbury, Texas. “The pilot requested a briefing yesterday for a flight between Cleburne, TX, and Ruidosa,” Lunsford said. “It’s still unclear whether he actually made the flight.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are en-route to the crash site.

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