Motorist Said Plane Flying At Odd Angle Before Crash

A man and his wife were lost Monday afternoon, when their homebuilt Cirrus VK-30 (type shown below) went down near Interstate 25 in northeastern New Mexico.

The Associated Press reports a motorist called authorities just after 1700 local time to report smoke along the highway north of Las Vegas, near Watrous. The witness also reported seeing a plane flying at an unusual angle just before seeing the smoke.

The wreckage was found about an hour later, by volunteer firefighters dispatched from Watrous.

State police identified the victims as pilot Glenn Elliot, and his wife Laurie McKnight. Both were 75 years old, and residents of Albuquerque.

Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were expected to be at the scene Tuesday, according to state police Lt. Rick Anglada.

Weather conditions were not reported. Monsoonal rain and storms were moving through the state Monday afternoon at the approximate time of the accident, but it is not known if those storms may have played a role.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 60GE        Make/Model: EXP       Description: CIRRUS VK30
  Date: 08/27/2007     Time: 2210

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

LOCATION
  City: WATROUS   State: NM   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
  FATALLY INJURED, NEAR WATROUS, 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: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: ALBUQUERQUE, NM  (SW01)               Entry date: 08/28/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov