Military Weapons Testing Could Have Downed Civilian Aircraft in the US
Preliminary NTSB report reveals that a medical aircraft lost GPS navigation just before crashing in New Mexico, while the US military was testing a signal jamming system nearby.
Preliminary NTSB report reveals that a medical aircraft lost GPS navigation just before crashing in New Mexico, while the US military was testing a signal jamming system nearby.
The crash of an emergency medical services aircraft in New Mexico, which killed four people on May 14, could be the first known case in the United States where military GPS jamming contributed to a civilian aircraft tragedy, according to The Telegraph. A preliminary report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), released on August 6, 2026, points to a concerning temporal coincidence between the accident and a military exercise at a nearby range.
The small twin-engine aircraft, intended for medical evacuation, crashed in the Capitan Mountains near Ruidoso. Two pilots and two nurses lost their lives in the accident, and the impact sparked a large forest fire that smoldered for weeks.
According to the NTSB report, the aircraft lost GPS navigation capability just before impact. The crew reported serious problems to flight control, and simultaneously, other aircraft in the flight zone experienced the same difficulties. Air traffic controllers assessed the situation as serious enough to request that the military temporarily halt the signal jamming exercise taking place at the White Sands Missile Range.
The NTSB report reveals dramatic communication: "The pilot responded that they were correcting altitude and that the aircraft had lost GPS navigation capability, noting that they would need guidance to the course." The crew then received approval for a visual approach, and the military was informed it could resume jamming. The disoriented aircraft soon struck the mountain, about 22 kilometers northeast of its destination.
Although the preliminary report does not draw a definitive conclusion about a direct causal link, it confirms that the military GPS jamming exercise was active at the time of the crash. The final report, which will determine the exact cause of the accident, is expected next year. If the connection is confirmed, The Telegraph notes it would be a precedent in the history of US aviation.
Data from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) shows an alarming trend: the number of reported GPS jamming incidents in the continental US jumped from four in 2020 to as many as 50 in 2024. This drastic increase further underscores the growing risk that military signal jamming technologies pose to the safety of civilian air traffic.
