4 killed as medical plane crashes in New Mexico, sparks wildfire

A small medical aircraft crashed in the Capitan Mountains near Ruidoso before dawn on May 15, killing all four people on board and sparking a wildfire in the surrounding forest, according to an AP report.

The aircraft, operated by Trans Aero MedEvac, was on a medical transport mission when it lost radar contact and communication. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, it had departed from Roswell Air Center and was headed to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport.

The wreckage was located on May 15 in steep, rocky terrain, forcing rescue crews to hike the final half-mile to reach the crash site. Authorities said the victims included flight crew and medical personnel. Their identities have not yet been released.

The crash also triggered a wildfire that spread to 35 acres by midday amid dry and windy conditions. Jason Burns, Lincoln County manager, said officials were “very concerned” about the blaze, with local agencies working alongside the US Forest Service to contain it.

String of medical aviation tragedies:

The latest crash adds to a troubling pattern in US medical aviation.

According to National Transportation Safety Board records, 25 fatal medical plane crashes over the past 25 years have killed nearly 70 people.

Recent incidents include:

• January 2025: A medical jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing eight people.
• August 2024: Four people died in a medical plane crash on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona.
• December 2024: A Mexican Navy aircraft carrying a young patient and seven others crashed off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2007, another medical aircraft crashed in Lincoln National Forest shortly after leaving Ruidoso, killing five people.

Are medical flights riskier?

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told AP that fixed-wing medical flights are not inherently more dangerous than other aircraft because they operate between airports under standard aviation conditions.

Medical helicopters, however, face greater risks because they often land on roads or improvised sites near accident scenes. A study covering air medical accidents over a 20-year period ending in 2020 found that more than 70% of fatalities involved helicopters.