Overview
- The Beechcraft medevac departed Roswell and crashed into the Capitan Mountains on May 14, killing both pilots and two flight nurses after the crew reported a loss of GPS navigation.
- NTSB investigators found that scheduled GPS-jamming operations from White Sands Missile Range were active across the region at the time and temporally matched the crew’s reported navigation outage.
- Air traffic controllers contacted military operators and briefly halted jamming to help the flight; controllers later told the military it could resume jamming after the crew reported a visual approach.
- Investigators documented gaps and discrepancies in flight-tracking data — Spidertracks generally showed altitudes about 600 feet higher than ADS-B and ADS-B recordings had large gaps — and noted the Sierra Blanca airport automated weather system was out of service.
- The NTSB emphasized the findings are preliminary, the FAA and military are coordinating further analysis, and the final report expected next year could prompt changes to ATC–military coordination and how GPS-jamming advisories are issued to pilots.