Federal safety investigators say an air ambulance got the wrong fuel at a New Mexico airport before it took off and crashed, killing all four people aboard.
A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report says the twin-engine aircraft was refueled with 40 gallons of jet fuel instead of aviation gasoline at the Las Cruces airport on Aug. 27.
The plane crashed after taking off on a flight to Phoenix. All three crew members and one patient were killed.
The NTSB preliminary report issued Monday does not say whether the wrong fuel caused the crash.
However, it says a crew member reported they were returning because smoke was coming from the right engine.
A Las Cruces city spokesman said the airport contracts for fueling services. The contractor, Southwest Aviation Inc., had no immediate comment.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.