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A single-engine plane crashed while taking off from the Angel Fire Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing a family of four. Firefighters surround the wreckage in this photo. (Courtesy of Michael Turri)
9:50 a.m. update:
Officials have released the identity of the four people killed in a plane crash near Angel Fire Airport Sunday afternoon. John Phillip Verhalen III, 33, was piloting the single-engine aircraft, and his sister Sara Verhalen, 41, niece Chloe Marie Jameson, 13, and girlfriend Jennifer Woodward, 26, were passengers. All four victims are from Texas.
According to the FAA, the plane is owned by a company in Scottsville, Texas, which is about 150 miles east of Dallas.
State Police and NTSB continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
A family of four died in a plane crash while taking off from Angel Fire Airport in northern New Mexico on Sunday afternoon in a single-engine aircraft, officials said.
The cause of the crash, which occurred just after 1 p.m., is under investigation, said a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Angel Fire, home to a popular ski resort, is about 25 miles east of Taos.
The area was experiencing strong winds and high gusts at the time of the crash, officials said.
Carl Shilcutt, who is the weekend relief for the airport manager, said the wind was gusting at 48 knots, or about 55 miles per hour. He said the plane carried a family from San Antonio, Texas, including two children.
“We had very strong cross winds at the time, and he simply lost control,” Shilcutt said.
The single-engine Mooney aircraft spiraled into the ground, he said. At the small airport, it’s up to individual pilots to decide whether to fly or not.
Shilcutt said he told the pilot about the high winds. He said he did not know where the plane was headed.
Michael Turri, who works in the visitor center at Angel Fire, said he arrived on the scene about 45 minutes after the crash.
“By the time I got there, there was literally nothing left of the plane,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will take the lead on the investigation, said FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford.
The plane was registered to a company in Texas, he said.
Highway 434, which runs past the airport, was shut down in both directions due to the crash.
“I’m sure it’s going to send a ripple through the community here,” Turri said.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal
Reprint story -- Email the reporter at dziff@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3828
