GPS Jamming Kills Medevac Crew in Mountain Crash

A twin-engine Beechcraft King Air medevac plane crashed into a mountain in New Mexico on May 13, 2026, killing its two pilots and two nurses. The flight was en route to Ruidoso to pick up a patient when it encountered a U.S. military GPS jamming exercise. This exercise, part of the NAVFEST event at the White Sands Missile Range, rendered modern navigation systems unusable.

Forced to revert to older, less familiar navigation techniques, the pilots became disoriented. Air traffic control was also managing other GPS-disrupted aircraft, leading to a critical delay in providing vectors to the King Air. The pilots eventually opted for a visual approach towards Ruidoso's lights.

Tragically, while descending towards the lights, the pilots could not see the 10,000-foot Capitan Mountains directly in their path. Despite attempts to climb, the aircraft impacted the mountainside at full speed. This accident is the first known instance of a civilian plane crash in the U.S. linked to GPS jamming.

Electronic warfare, including GPS jamming, is increasingly disrupting civilian air travel globally. Incidents over the Middle East, Black Sea, and Baltic regions have been reported since 2023. While airlines adapt, the loss of GPS as a safety layer, combined with factors like inexperienced crews and challenging conditions, heightens aviation risks.