Family sues plane company a year after fatal crash near Santa Fe

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – A little more than a year after a plane crashed into an unoccupied mobile home near Santa Fe , the family that owned the property is now taking the plane company, the Biplane Company, to court for negligence.

Back in July of 2023, 72-year-old Randolph Sherman was expected to make a trip to California , after taking off from Santa Fe Airport just after 9 a.m. Sherman reported an engine failure a little more than one minute after takeoff and reported it to air traffic control. After telling Sherman he could land on any of the runways at the airport, they lost communication with him.

The lawsuit claims the style and class of plane flown by Sherman could have landed safely if one or all engines stopped working. It also argues that pilots who fly that style of plane are trained on how to safely land if an emergency were to happen.

The suit is asking for compensatory and punitive relief for damage to property owned by the Benavidez family, such as the mobile home, a vehicle, and all other personal belongings lost due to the crash. As a result, the homeowner was forced to temporarily move into emergency housing. The lawsuit also claims the property lost value after fuel and smoke from the crash contaminated the land.

The Benavidez family also owned an adjacent property next to the crash. They say the smoke and fumes from the fire have diminished that property as well.

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