Tyler Francis, owner of an FBO business in New Mexico, died Monday when the experimental airplanehe was flying crashed at Las Cruces International Airport, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. Francis, 29, owned Francis Aviation, headquartered at the Dona Ana County Airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He had recently expanded operations to Las Cruces, the newspaper reported. A photo of the crash scene shows an aircraft with the tail number NX625ZH, which is registered as an RV-3, a Van’s single-seat experimental. There were no other injuries and no fire, the newspaper reported. The NTSB was called to the scene Monday, and local police spoke to witnesses. One told investigators the plane was perpendicular to the ground before it crashed, according to the Sun-News report.
Francis was recognized for plans to improve the airport activity at Las Cruces, telling the Sun-News earlier this month he wanted to increase traffic there, including charter and freight flights. A fatal air-ambulance crash in August, which resulted in a lawsuit involving the existing FBO, Southwest Aviation, also motivated him to expand there, he told the newspaper. He also was recognized for bringing the Amigo Airsho, held earlier this month, to the Santa Teresa airport, according to the Sun-News. He was the grandson of Larry Francis, former mayor of El Paso, and the son of Rick Francis, an El Paso banker. “The loss of our beloved Tyler has left us without words,” Francis’ family said in a statement. “We request that during this devastating time in our lives you respect our privacy, understanding that we ask to be left alone to grieve the death of our son and try to comfort one another as a family.”
