Sangre de Cristo Mountains, NM Private Plane Crash, Dec 1996

PLANE CRASH KILLS FAMILY OF 6 IN NEW MEXICO.

Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) -- A private airplane slammed into a mountainside in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico, killing a family of six on a Christmas holiday trip, state police said.
The wreckage of the single-engine plane was found Sunday on a private ranch near Holman, about 35 miles northeast of Santa Fe, in a heavily forested area. There were no survivors, said state police Lt. Mike Hill.
The bodies were to be recovered today. "It's such a rugged area they want to make sure they do this as safely as possible," Hill said.
The Beechcraft Bonanza was headed from Raton, just south of the Colorado border, to Glendale, Ariz. The pilot's wife reported it overdue Saturday.
Around the same time, the plane's automatic emergency locator beacon was tracked by Air Force satellite. State police search and rescue teams were joined by aircraft from the Air Force and National Guard.
The victims were identified as:
Pilot SEWALL "BUD" OSGOOD, 72, of Sun City, Ariz.
His daughter KATHY HARRELLSON, 40.
Her husband MELVIN "VINNIE" HARRELLSON, 42.
Their children AUDREY, 15; RYAN, 11; and ERICA, 10.
The HARRELLSONS were from Raton.
The plane had left the Raton airport around noon Saturday.

Gazette Cedar Rapids Iowa 1996-12-23
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!