A medical evacuation aircraft that crashed in mountainous terrain in New Mexico in May, killing all four people on board, experienced GPS interference linked to military jamming shortly before the accident, according to a preliminary investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The Beechcraft C90 King Air registered N249CP, operated by Generation Jets for Trans Aero MedEvac, departed Roswell late on 13 May to collect a patient at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport near Ruidoso. About 8 minutes after departure, the crew reported losing GPS reception while military electronic warfare testing was underway at White Sands Missile Range.
Air traffic controllers contacted the military and requested that the jamming be stopped. GPS reception subsequently returned, and the pilots reported having the destination airport in sight before accepting a visual approach. Once the aircraft was established for the approach, the military was reportedly authorised to resume its GPS jamming.
Around five minutes later, in darkness and mountainous terrain, the King Air struck a ridge in the Capitan Mountains. Both pilots and two flight nurses were killed. The accident also sparked a wildfire.
Investigators noted several other factors surrounding the accident. There was no moon, while the airport’s automated weather system was unavailable. This was significant because instrument approaches could not be conducted without a local altimeter setting, limiting the crew’s alternatives after encountering navigation problems.
Military GPS interference in the area was part of a scheduled exercise designed to simulate operations in a GPS-denied environment. Procedures allow air traffic controllers to request a temporary suspension of jamming — known as a “stop buzzer“ — when civilian aircraft encounter difficulties.
The incident has renewed concerns over GPS interference affecting civilian aviation, particularly as reports of jamming and other satellite-navigation disruptions have increased in recent years.
However, investigators have cautioned against drawing conclusions from the preliminary findings. The NTSB has not determined the probable cause or identified contributing factors, and the investigation will examine the loss of GPS alongside the crew’s decisions, weather conditions, terrain, available navigation aids and other operational circumstances.
A final NTSB report is expected in 2027.