One Dead, House Lost in Plane Crash

A plane that had just taken off from the Santa Fe Regional Airport crashed into a house just after 9 am Tuesday, according to New Mexico State Police, who say the plane’s pilot died in the incident.

New Mexico State Police Public Information Officer Wilson Silver confirmed that the twin-engine Cessna, flown by Los Angeles resident Randolph Sherman, 72, struck a house in Santa Fe County just south of Santa Fe Downs.

The crash and the fire that followed destroyed the house, says Miquella Benavidez, the homeowner who tells SFR she’s still trying to fathom the total loss.

“It just seems so surreal at this point,” she says. “I don’t know how to process it. I don’t know what to think. I just thank God that nobody was there.”

Benavidez says she and her two children lived at the home, but that her kids are on vacation visiting her parents and she was at work when the plane crashed. For now, she’s renting a room, but isn’t sure what she’s going to do next.

“Never take life for granted,” she says.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza tells SFR his office handed over any further investigations of the crash to the New Mexico State Police, although responders from both the city and county fire departments were on scene later in the day. Silver says Sherman was headed to Santa Monica, California when he reported trouble.

“At approximately 9:03 this morning, a twin-engine Cessna, with one pilot, left the Santa Fe Regional Airport,” Silver says. “At approximately 9:05, the pilot called the tower and said that they had a left engine failure. Approximately 30 seconds to a minute later, the plane went down, making contact with the residence.”

Silver says first responders arrived on scene about 10 minutes after the crash and by noon on Tuesday firefighters were still dealing with “hotspots.”

The crash was the second near the airport since June.