Family Witnessed Crash That Killed Mesilla Pilot
MESILLA, NM — A 54-year-oldMesillamanwas killed Saturday when the light aircraft he was flying crashed near his home as his family watched.
Authorities say Robert Steinmetz was flying the aircraft he had built himself the day before when it crashed into a field just south of his house.
The family toldauthoritiesthe pilot flew too low, couldn’t pull up and went straight into the ground.
Steinmetz — a physical therapist who worked in Las Cruces — died immediately. He was an avid supporter of the volleyball program at New Mexico State University, where his daughter Alex, a college freshman, plays as an outside hitter.
