Plane Went Down Sunday Night Near KSRR

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 08.06.07 2215 EDT: Officials have released the names of the flight crew lost in Sunday night's downing of a medevac flight near Ruidoso, NM.

The Associated Press reports Ricky Byers, 56, was flying the Beechcraft King Air E90 (type shown below). Also lost were 44-year-old flight nurse Brian Miller, and Deanna Palmer, a 40-year-old paramedic recently hired by Southwest Med Evac.

Flight plan records show the King Air, N369CD, was flown from Roswell, NM to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport near Ruidoso Sunday evening, to pick up Tracy Smith, 41 and her 15-month-old daughter Lily Smith. Local media reports state Lily was being flown to University Hospital in Albuquerque, to be treated for convulsions following a fall.

Before the leg to Ruidoso, the aircraft flew from Roswell to Lubbock, TX and back.

Investigators with the NTSB are on scene, to examine the wreckage strewn through the "Devil's Canyon" region of the Lincoln National Forest. Officials are also looking at weather conditions at the time of the accident.

Original Report

1435 EDT: National Guard personnel in New Mexico located the wreckage of a twin-engine medevac aircraft early Monday morning, after the aircraft was reported missing shortly after its departure from Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (KSRR) near Ruidoso, NM Sunday night. None of the five persons onboard survived the accident.

State police spokesman Lieutenant Rick Anglada told KOAT-7 the aircraft -- type unknown, but reported in local media as a "twin engine turbo charged" plane -- took off from Ruidoso at around 10:40 pm Sunday night, en route to Albuquerque. The aircraft was transporting a 15-month-old infant and her mother, identified as Tracy Smith, 41, and her baby Lilly.

The aircraft's pilot, a male nurse and a female paramedic were also lost in the crash. Their identities have not been released.

The wreckage of the aircraft, operated by Southwest Med Evac, was found about 5:15 am Monday morning southwest of Ruidoso, in the Devil's Canyon area. An OH-58 helo equipped with infrared imaging systems was used to locate the wreckage.

Southwest Med Evac spokesman Rob Campion told The Albuquerque Tribune the company -- the largest provider of medical flights in southern New Mexico and Texas -- transports infants to hospitals throughout the area at least 300 times a year.

It is not known if weather played a role in the accident. Southeastern New Mexico has experienced seasonal rains and storms for the past several weeks.

FMI: www.southwestmedevac.com