New information released about Las Cruces plane crash

Four people killed in an air ambulance crash west of Las Cruces in August died from a combination of burns, smoke inhalation and blunt force trauma, according to autopsy reports.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator’s findings were released earlier this month. Tests also found that pilot Juan A. “Freddy” Martinez did not have drugs or alcohol in his system.

Federal safety investigators said in September that the twin-engine aircraft got the wrong fuel at the Las Cruces airport before it took off and crashed Aug. 27.

All three crew members and one patient were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report did not say whether the incorrect fuel is what led to the crash.