A Civilian Plane Crashed in New Mexico. Was the Military’s Tech to Blame?
A fatal civilian plane crash in New Mexico has been linked to a US military GPS jamming exercise that disrupted navigation systems. This incident highlights the growing risks to civilian aviation as electronic warfare and drone technology become more prevalent.
Why it matters
The intersection of military electronic warfare and civilian safety poses significant regulatory and security challenges for modern aviation.
But once airborne, the plane ran into trouble. At the White Sands Missile Range that night, US military personnel were conducting a GPS jamming exercise that left the King Air pilots—and anyone else within hundreds of miles—unable to use modern navigation systems. Forced to revert to older technology, ones that they rarely if ever use, the medevac pilots got disoriented and crashed into the side of a mountain. There were no survivors.
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