Witnesses Say Plane Flew Into Storm Before Accident

Two men were killed Saturday when their single-engine propeller aircraft crashed near Dona Ana County Airport (5T6) in southern New Mexico.

The Associated Press reports Michael Douglas Perry and Jim Crosby were onboard the aircraft -- initially reported to be a Beech A36, but later identified by the FAA as a Maule MXT-7-180A -- in the vicinity of thunderstorms shortly before the plane crashed near Santa Teresa, northwest of El Paso, TX.

Hikers saw the aircraft take off from 5T6 around 1800 MDT Saturday, and fly into an apparent storm cell. The aircraft (file photo of type, shown below) impacted terrain a short time after, catching fire on impact.

New Mexico State Police Officer Joe Ballesteros told the AP one or both men appeared to have tried to climb from the burning wreckage.

KTSM-9 in El Paso reported Monday that Perry was the pilot of the aircraft, with Crosby, a dentist in the small Arizona community of Eagar, riding along as passenger.

Investigators with both the FAA and NTSB were on scene Sunday morning. Dan Baker, an investigator with the NTSB, told the El Paso Times family members were allowed to visit the accident site and see the wreckage -- little more than a charred metal frame, with its forward section crushed by impact forces -- Sunday afternoon.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 4257C        Make/Model: M7        Description: M-7-235, MT-7, MX-7-160/180/235, MXT-7-1
  Date: 10/11/2008     Time: 2359

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: SANTA TERESA   State: NM   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT ON TAKEOFF, CRASHED AND CAUGHT FIRE, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
  FATALLY INJURED, SANTA TERESA, NM

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: METAR KELP 112351Z 16008KT 10 FEW050 SCT090 BKN140 OVC250 27/13 A2980

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Take-off      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: ALBUQUERQUE, NM  (SW01)               Entry date: 10/14/2008

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov