Plane Subject Of Alert Notice

Investigators with the FAA and NTSB are searching for clues in the fatal crash of a Beech Musketeer Tuesday night in northeastern New Mexico.

NM state police received word of an emergency locator transmitter signal approximately 80 miles northwest of Albuquerque. The call came in from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

"That doesn't pinpoint it very much," State Police Lt. Rick Anglada told the Associated Press.

Search crews and Civil Air Patrol pilots responded to the call, and within two hours were able to narrow the search area to near Chacon. Ground crews were unable to locate anything overnight, but a helicopter located the crash site Wednesday morning.

Anglada says crews believe the pilot -- identified as Layton Frederic Lewis, of Farmers Branch, TX -- died on impact.

According to FlightAware.com, Lewis flew to Tucumcari, NM from Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke, TX Tuesday morning on an IFR flight plan. Authorities believe he was heading to Colorado when the plane went down.
 
  Regis#: 4761J        Make/Model: BE23      Description: 23 Musketeer, Sundowner
  Date: 03/13/2007     Time: 0000

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

LOCATION
  City: CIMARRON   State: NM   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, WAS SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTEICE
  ISSUED 3/14/07, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, WRECKAGE
  LOCATED NEAR CIMARRON, NM

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: TUCUMCARI, NM               Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: DURANGO, CO              Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ALBUQUERQUE, NM  (SW01)               Entry date: 03/15/2007

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