Texas man killed in plane crash near Carlsbad was only passenger, on 'personal flight'
A 27-year-old Texas man died in a plane crash near Carlsbad Nov. 19, said New Mexico State Police.
NMSP spokesperson Dusty Francisco said Michael Kozlovsky of Burnet, Texas was the pilot of the a Cessna airplane that crashed into a communications tower east of Carlsbad about 11:45 a.m.
Kozlovsky was found dead at the scene.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website, the plane crashed under unknown circumstances after striking the tower and caught on fire near Mangum and Burton Flats roads.
Kozlovsky was a on personal flight and filed a flight plan with the Lubbock Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), read the FAA website.
More: One person dead in plane crash in Eddy County
The plane’s registered owner was Gulf Coast Helicopters of Pearland, Texas, the FAA’s website indicated.
At the scene of a plan crash east of Carlsbad where a small plan crashed into a radio tower. You can see on the right the top part of the tower is broken and hanging off. @CCurrentArgus pic.twitter.com/UvROZaBIPW
— Adrian Hedden (@AdrianHedden) November 19, 2021
The company performs pipeline inspections, aerial surveys for oil and gas projects, airborne leak detections and air charter services, per the company’s website.
The company had no comment on Kozlovsky’s death or the crash.
The FAA said Kozlovsky’s plane was destroyed in the crash and he was the only one on board.
NMSP was leading the investigation into the death, was assisted at the scene of the crash by multiple local agencies including the Carlsbad Fire Department, Eddy County Emergency Services and Eddy County Sheriff's Office.
Data from the FAA showed the incident could be the first plane crash reported in Carlsbad in the last decade.
There were two crashes in Artesia reported to the FAA's crash database since 2011. In April 2011, a Piper plane reportedly suffered minor damage during its landing at Artesia Municipal Airport, per the FAA.
In March 2016, an Air Tractor agricultural plane was also reported to have sustained minor damage during an inflight maneuver
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Texas man dies in plane crash northeast of Carlsbad Friday
