ALBUQUERQUE, March 4 (UPI) -- A single-engine airplane crashed during take-off from the Angel Fire Airport in New Mexico, killing all on board, New Mexico State Police said.
Airport manager Carl Shilcutt said a family of four from San Antonio was on board when the airplane crashed Sunday, KOB-TV, Albuquerque, reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration website indicated the plane was registered to Verhalen Flyers Inc. in Scottsville, Texas.
The plane flew about 200 feet or so off the runway before diving straight down, witnesses said.
"From what [another pilot] could determine, a heavy [wind gust] caught the plane, caused its right wing to dip and then cork-screwed down to the ground," a witness, Michael Turri, told KOB.
Turri said the other pilot explained that crosswinds "were almost exactly perpendicular to the runway" and created "pretty treacherous flying conditions" when combined with winds gusts ranging from 35-50 mph.
