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Plane CrashesVersion 3

Four Killed in Medevac Crash Near Ruidoso, New Mexico; NTSB Notes Military GPS Jamming in Preliminary Findings

Cause has not been determined; Raw Story describes the inquiry as open while Truthout reports the NTSB has issued preliminary findings noting the military's jamming exercises.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 5, 2026, 12:31 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 11:26 a.m. ET
people were killed when a medevac aircraft crashed near , New Mexico, on May 14, 2026, according to Truthout. Those killed were two pilots and two nurses, Truthout reported. The flight, operated by , had departed Roswell to pick up a patient in and was on , according to Truthout. The cause has not been determined. Sources describe the state of the inquiry differently: Raw Story reports the investigation remains open, while Truthout reports the National Transportation Safety Board has issued findings. In those findings, according to Truthout, the NTSB notes the military's jamming exercises and notes that the military informed pilots of the demonstrations ahead of time. A finding is not a determination of cause. Three other aircraft in the area also lost GPS at the same time, and air traffic controllers asked the military to pause its GPS disruptions at a couple of points, according to Raw Story and Truthout. A social media post claimed that the military jammed GPS signals and caused a medevac plane to crash, killing all healthcare workers on board, according to the reporting. Wired reported the crash was the first fatal accident in the United States known to be linked to electronic warfare; it has also been reported as the first known fatal crash in relation to U.S. military GPS jamming exercises. The crash sparked the Seven Cabins wildfire, which burned over 31,000 acres, according to the reporting. The aircraft involved has not been identified in the available material, and no registration has been released. Geographic reference data places in Lincoln County, New Mexico, at a settlement elevation of 6,742 feet, about 12 miles southwest of Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (KSRR/RUI); that locates the town, not the accident site. Todd Humphreys, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, said increased GPS jamming and spoofing pose a safety risk for commercial aviation, according to the reporting — a general statement about the risk environment, not a finding about this crash. The NTSB investigation continues.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
6,742 ft
Nearest aerodrome
12 miles SW of Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (KSRR/RUI)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 37 Aug 2026, 15:26current

    Added geographic reference data for Ruidoso and tightened attribution on the social media claim and Humphreys quote.

  2. Version 25 Aug 2026, 21:46

    Added death toll (four: two pilots, two nurses), operator Trans Aero MedEvac, Ruidoso location, Roswell departure, approach phase, post-midnight timing, NTSB preliminary findings on jamming exercises, other aircraft GPS losses, controller pause requests and the Seven Cabins wildfire; noted source conflict on investigation status.

  3. Version 15 Aug 2026, 16:47

    First published.

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