Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under criticism following the release of a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concerning the fatal crash of a medical evacuation aircraft in New Mexico. The report found that military GPS-jamming operations from White Sands Missile Range were active at the time of the accident.
Investigators said the Beechcraft C-90 air ambulance crashed into the Capitan Mountains near Ruidoso shortly after midnight on May 14 while flying from Roswell to pick up a patient. The crash killed both pilots and two flight nurses and ignited a wildfire that burned tens of thousands of acres before being brought under control.
According to the NTSB’s preliminary findings, the flight crew reported losing GPS navigation shortly after takeoff. Air traffic controllers asked military officials to temporarily suspend the GPS-jamming exercise so controllers could assist the aircraft. Other commercial and private pilots operating in the area also reported significant GPS interference that night.
The military exercise had been announced beforehand through standard aviation notices warning of potential GPS disruptions within a 240-nautical-mile radius of White Sands Missile Range. Investigators also identified discrepancies between the aircraft’s recorded GPS altitude and its actual flight path.
The NTSB emphasized that its preliminary report is factual only and does not determine the probable cause of the crash. Investigators are continuing to examine cockpit data, radar records, and the possible effects of military electronic warfare exercises on civilian aviation safety.
The article notes that the report has drawn renewed attention amid criticism of Hegseth’s recent actions. It also states that Hegseth had not responded publicly to the criticism at the time of publication.
According to Wired, although the flight crew had been notified about the GPS-jamming exercise, aviation experts said there were insufficient safeguards and inadequate air traffic control support to help prevent a potential accident.
The article adds that reports of GPS interference have increased substantially in recent years, rising from four reported cases in 2020 to fifty in 2024, with another forty cases recorded in 2025, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Aviation experts also noted that the pilots might have been able to land safely by relying on ground-based navigation systems or visual flight procedures. The investigation remains ongoing.
