A 20-year veteran reporter-videographer died in a tragic crash when the news helicopter he was piloting plummeted into a field and caught fire near a New Mexico ghost town.

Bob Martin had been flying the Bell B206 helicopter in the late afternoon when something went horribly wrong....

At about 4:30 p.m. on September 16, 2017, the KRQE-TV helicopter crashed into the ground outside of the central New Mexico ghost town of Ancho.

Just after 5 p.m. police found the remnants of the destroyed chopper and its sole occupant smoldering outside of the former railroad and ranching community.

Bob Martin, a veteran reporter and award-winning journalist has over 20 years of experience of reporting in the field. He previously covered the stories of military troops and civilians deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Panama, El Salvadora and Nicaragua.

He was a commercial helicopter and airplane pilot, and had an expert sport skydiver's license.

Given his expert skills, it's hard to imagine what could have caused the chopper to come down. The mysterious cause of the crash is unknown.

The National Trasportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are still investigating the cause of the crash.

While flight is considered one of the safest modes of transportation, it is not without its risks. Those who grew up in the 80's will also remember the tragic on-air helicopter death of Jane Dornacker.

[h/t USNEWS/ Albuquerque Journal]