Overview
- A Beechcraft King Air medevac flying to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport lost GPS and struck the Capitan Mountains on May 14, 2026, killing the two pilots and two flight nurses and igniting the Seven Cabins Fire.
- NTSB preliminary records show the crew reported GPS outages to Albuquerque Center and that multiple other aircraft in the area experienced similar losses of satellite navigation that night.
- Air traffic controllers contacted military personnel conducting a NAVFEST GPS‑jamming exercise at White Sands Missile Range and asked them to stop before later telling them they could resume while the medevac was still on approach.
- Investigators have not determined probable cause and have not concluded that the jamming directly caused the crash; the probe is examining the sequence of GPS loss, ATC guidance, the crew’s switch to a visual approach at night, and terrain factors consistent with controlled flight into terrain.
- The crash has prompted local and congressional requests for briefings, renewed scrutiny of FAA NOTAMs and military testing policies, and broader concern about rising GPS disruptions that can affect civilian navigation and surveillance systems.