Military GPS-Jamming Exercise Linked to Fatal New Mexico Medevac Crash
A medevac King Air crashed into a New Mexico mountain after a military GPS-jamming drill disabled its navigation, killing all four aboard.
On May 13, a Beechcraft King Air medevac left Roswell, New Mexico, bound for Ruidoso when a GPS-jamming operation conducted by the 746th Test Squadron at White Sands Missile Range knocked out satellite navigation for aircraft within hundreds of miles. The inexperienced crew—captain Keelan Clark and first officer Ali Kawsara—were forced to revert to legacy radio-beacon navigation, lost situational awareness, and after ATC granted a visual approach, collided with the Capitan Mountains, killing all four occupants.
The crash is the first known U.S. civilian fatality caused by electronic-warfare jamming. Experts note that medevac flights already carry higher risk, and the growing prevalence of GPS interference worldwide threatens broader aviation safety. Recent incidents in Washington, DC, and West Texas illustrate similar disruptions from anti-drone and military exercises. Industry leaders warn that continued jamming could keep commercial aviation in a heightened risk state for years.
Why it matters
GPS interference can turn routine flights into deadly accidents, affecting public safety and aviation reliability.
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