California surgeon killed in Santa Fe plane crash after engine failure

A “renowned” California surgeon has been identified as the victim of a plane crash in New Mexico just days after the doctor was killed when an engine failed on his Cessna and he smashed into a home.

Randolph “Randy” Sherman, of Los Angeles, suffered an engine failure on Tuesday and crash-landed into the Santa Fe home, causing it to go up in flames.

The 72-year-old doctor, who was a pioneer in the field of microsurgery, had taken off from the Santa Fe Regional Airport around 9 a.m. Tuesday in his twin-engine Cessna.

Shortly after takeoff, Sherman radioed into the air traffic control to say he had lost one of his engines on his trip back to California.

Within moments, the plane plummeted into the home, where it burst into flames. No one was at home at the time of the crash.

A witness said the plane had been flying east, but then appeared to begin turning around before it quickly crashed.

Marcos Cervantes, a nearby neighbor, said his windows shook when the plane crashed into the house and he heard “pops” go off and “whatever was exploding,” he told KOAT.

Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles honored the late doctor on Wednesday, saying Sherman had “earned a reputation as an internationally renowned surgical innovator” throughout his four decades as a medical physician.

The doctor “built premier plastic surgery programs in Los Angeles and traveled the world caring for children with hard-to-treat deformities,” the hospital said.

“Sherman was a pioneer in the field of microsurgery, a prominent expert in hand surgery and breast and limb reconstruction,” the hospital said in a statement.

“His many innovative surgical techniques led to remarkable outcomes for reconstruction of previously untreatable birth defects and traumatic injuries.”

While at Cedars-Sinai, where he had been since 2015, he was the vice chair of the Department of Surgery and director of the Division of Plastic Surgery.

Cristina Ferrone, chair of the Department of Surgery at the hospital, said Sherman would be remembered as a “loyal and generous friend and teacher.”

“He will be missed for his contributions to the field of surgery and for his impact on so many of us who benefited from his great talent, leadership, and compassion,” she said in a statement.

Sherman also mentored many microsurgeons all over the world, and he participated in Operation Smile, a surgical charity that cares for children with deformities in disadvantaged countries.

“His international surgical work was truly a reflection of his deep caring and compassion for his patients,” Bruce L. Gewertz, a Cedars-Sinai surgeon-in-chief, said in a statement.

In addition to his medical practices, he was a flight instructor and commercial pilot, and he served as an FAA-designated senior aviation medical examiner, according to the hospital. He was also a board member for the Santa Monica Museum of Flying, the Lyon Air Museum, and the American Air Museum.