In May, a **Beechcraft King Air** medevac plane, en route from Roswell to Ruidoso, New Mexico, crashed into a mountain, killing all four on board. The incident marked a grim first: a civilian aircraft accident in the U.S. directly attributed to **GPS** jamming. The crash occurred during a **U.S. military** GPS jamming exercise at the **White Sands Missile Range**, which disrupted navigation systems for hundreds of miles. Forced to rely on older, less frequently used technologies, the pilots became disoriented, leading to the fatal collision. ## The Dangerous Rise of GPS Attacks This tragic event is not isolated. **Eliran Almog**, CEO of cybersecurity firm **Cyviation**, notes that "As drone warfare and electronic warfare expand, airlines are increasingly encountering navigation disruptions hundreds of miles beyond the actual conflict zone." Recent disruptions have been reported globally, from civilian drones straying into restricted zones to temporary airspace closures due to anti-drone laser operations by **U.S. Customs and Border Patrol**. The **U.S. military** has issued notices for at least 10 such jamming exercises in the past year, indicating a growing trend that poses significant risks to civilian air travel. ## A Closer Look at the Ruidoso Crash Medevac flights are inherently dangerous, often conducted on short notice in challenging conditions and unfamiliar airstrips. The May 13 flight involved Captain **Keelan Clark** (30) and First Officer **Ali Kawsara** (23), both relatively junior in their roles. Modern cockpits primarily use **RNAV** (Area Navigation) systems, which rely on GPS to display a clear path. Before GPS, pilots navigated using magnetic compasses, ground-based radio beacons, and inertial systems – a method requiring significant mental mapping and constant practice to maintain situational awareness, as highlighted by retired airline pilot **Kenneth Krentsa**. Taking off around midnight, the pilots initially navigated visually. However, due to the dark, moonless night and lack of visual cues, they requested to fly using instruments. Under normal circumstances, the GPS-enabled RNAV system would have guided them seamlessly. ## NAVFEST and the Loss of GPS Unbeknownst to the pilots, the **746th Test Squadron** of the **704th Test Group** was conducting its annual **NAVFEST** event at **White Sands Missile Range**. This two-week exercise tests electronic warfare technologies, including GPS disruption. The **Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)** had issued warnings about potential GPS interference up to 400 miles away. Eight minutes after takeoff, the **King Air** pilots reported losing GPS to **Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center** (Albuquerque Center) and requested vectors, or magnetic directions, for navigation. They initially sought an RNAV approach, but with GPS jammed, they switched to an **Instrument Landing System (ILS)** approach, which doesn't require GPS.  ## Overwhelmed Air Traffic Control Albuquerque Center was unusually busy, assisting three other aircraft that had also reported GPS loss. While waiting for vectors, the **King Air** continued flying north, overshooting their landing pattern by 10 miles. At this point, GPS briefly became available again, offering the pilots a choice: * Wait for air traffic control to provide more vectors. * Switch back to the RNAV approach, now that GPS was restored. * Attempt a visual approach, guided by the lights of Ruidoso airport, visible 31 miles southwest. The pilots chose the visual approach, requesting to "go visual" with Albuquerque Center, which was granted. ## The Fatal Visual Approach As the **King Air** descended towards Ruidoso's lights, they were unaware of the **Capitan Mountains**, a 10,000-foot mass directly in their path. As they drew closer, the mountain obscured the valley lights, leading to what **Juan Browne**, an airline pilot and crash-investigation podcaster, describes as "confusion and a loss of situational awareness." Despite slowing their descent and climbing slightly, it wasn't enough. They continued flying straight into the rising slope. "When you are in that state of mind, you climb as high as you can," says Krentsa. "And you circle. You stay in one place until you figure out where you are. You don't just keep pressing forward, blindly." Yet, that's precisely what the **King Air** pilots did, colliding with the mountain.