Four people were killed Wednesday night when a Phoenix-bound medical transport plane went down in a fiery crash shortly after takeoff in southern New Mexico, police said.
The twin-engine propeller plane was found burning near the Dona Ana County Fairgrounds in Las Cruces around 7 p.m. Wednesday, roughly 50 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a statement from local police.
The plane had taken off from Las Cruces Airport, less than 10 miles from the crash site, police said. Witnesses told police the aircraft was flying low to the ground before crashing.
The aircraft belonged to Amigos Aviation, based in Hartinger, Texas, and was being contracted by Elite Medical Transport, based in El Paso. According to the Elite Medical Transport website, the company uses a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 plane, operated by Amigos Aviation, to transport patients.