A U.S. military electronic warfare exercise involving GPS-jamming technology has been linked to the crash of a medical transport plane in New Mexico that killed four people, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records.
The Beechcraft King Air medevac plane was en route from Roswell to Ruidoso in early May to pick up a patient when its pilots lost access to their navigation systems. The aircraft crashed into the 10,000-foot Capitan Mountains.
The incident marked the first known fatal civilian plane crash in the U.S. associated with electronic warfare, raising concerns about the potential impact of military technology on civilian aviation.
Flight and Loss of Navigation
The crew, including Captain Keelan Clark, 30, First Officer Ali Kawsara, 23, and nurses Sarah Clark and Jamie Novick, was dispatched at 11 p.m. on May 13. The plane departed Roswell at 11:52 p.m. under clear but nearly moonless skies. Approximately eight minutes after takeoff, the pilots reported losing GPS and requested assistance from air traffic control.
At the same time, the Air Force's 746th Test Squadron was conducting its NAVFEST electronic warfare event at White Sands Missile Range, testing technology designed to disrupt GPS signals. The FAA had issued advisories warning pilots that these exercises could affect GPS signals up to 400 miles away between May 12 and May 18.
As controllers worked to assist multiple aircraft reporting GPS issues, the King Air's pilots attempted to switch from a GPS-dependent approach to a ground-based instrument landing system. By 12:08 a.m., the aircraft had drifted about 10 miles beyond its intended landing pattern.
Visual Approach and Collision
Receiving permission to approach visually, the pilots headed toward the lights of Ruidoso's airport, approximately 31 miles away. However, they were not aware that the Capitan Mountains were directly in their path. As the plane descended, the obscured terrain and loss of visual references may have led to confusion and a loss of situational awareness, according to aviation experts.
The aircraft struck the mountainside at full speed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash. While the NTSB's preliminary report detailed the GPS problems, the final determination of the crash's cause is not expected until next year.
Experts note that while GPS disruption alone should not cause a crash, the system is particularly critical for precision navigation in challenging terrain. The increasing use of GPS-jamming technology for military purposes, such as countering drones, has intensified scrutiny on its potential effects on civilian air traffic.