2026 Ruidoso Beechcraft King Air crash
Aviation incident in New Mexico, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On May 14, 2026, a Beechcraft C90 King Air medical evacuation aircraft operated by Trans Aero MedEvac lost radio contact and crashed near Ruidoso, New Mexico, killing all four people on board. The aircraft was traveling from Roswell International Air Center to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport.[1][2]
- Capitan Mountains Northwest of Ruidoso, New Mexico
A Beechcraft King Air similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 14, 2026 |
| Summary | Crash into mountainous terrain |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft C90 King Air |
| Operator | Angels Envy Aviation LLC on behalf of Generations Jets |
| Registration | N249CP |
| Flight origin | Roswell International Air Center |
| Destination | Sierra Blanca Regional Airport |
| Occupants | 4 |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The crash led to a wildfire that grew to over 19 square miles.[3]
Investigation
On June 17, 2026, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report into the crash, described GPS problems encountered by the pilots.[1][4] Investigators noted they would not identify a cause of the crash until the report's full release in 2027.[1]
In July 2026, Wired published an investigation linking a GPS jamming exercise led by the 746th Test Squadron of the 704th Test Group of the US Air Force at White Sands Missile Range to the crash, noting that this may have been the first crash of a civilian aircraft in the US in which GPS jamming was a contributing factor. The exercise was part of the annual NAVFEST event, two weeks of electronic warfare exercises held at the range due to its remote location.[5]
