Preliminary Reports
Fatal Air Ambulance Crash Occurred during GPS Jamming Exercises
Beechcraft C90, May 14, 2026, Lincoln, New Mexico
The King Air that crashed on approach to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (KSRR) in Ruidoso, New Mexico, was one of four aircraft that reported losses of GPS guidance during a moonless night over rural New Mexico. All four occupants—two pilots and two flight nurses—died when the twin-engine turboprop flew into the side of the Capitan Mountains at an elevation of 9,950 feet. The collision ignited a forest fire that consumed more than 31,000 acres and remained uncontained for nearly a month.
At 23:52 Mountain Daylight Time on May 13, the aircraft departed Roswell International Air Center (KROW), New Mexico, on a positioning leg to transport a passenger from Ruidoso to Albuquerque. Skies were clear with more than 10 miles of visibility, but the moon was below the horizon, and the crew requested an IFR clearance. Albuquerque Center cleared them “as filed” at an en route altitude of 12,000 feet.
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