Military jamming signal disrupted GPS in New Mexico medical plane crash: report

(NewsNation) —  A military jamming signal caused a small medical plane to crash into the side of a mountain in New Mexico last month, according to a new federal report.  An NTSB preliminary report of the May 14 crash detailed the GPS problems the pilots encountered before the deadly crash, but wouldn't identify it as the official cause until its final report.  In the late hours of May 13, the air crew based out of Roswell Air Center in New Mexico was flying to Albuquerque for a patient transport. A few minutes after midnight, it crashed into the Captain Mountains' new Ruidoso, sparking a wildfire that burned for weeks.  There were four fatalities. NewsNation affiliate KRQE listed the names of the crew members tragically killed in the plane crash as Keelan Clark, Generation Jets pilot; Ali Kawsara, Generation Jets pilot; Sarah Clark, Trans Aero MedEvac flight nurse; and Jamie Novick, Trans Aero MedEvac flight nurse. The plane was listed in the report as “destroyed.” During the flight, the air traffic controller requested the military stop jamming the GPS, according to the NTSB report. But the pilots told controllers they had the airport in sight and planned to land visually, so controllers gave the military the OK to resume jamming.  The FAA published a notice to pilots warning them that the military would be jamming GPS signals, according to the NTSB report.  The NTSB reported the plane descended to 9,400 feet as it approached the airport. The plane struck the mountainside at 9,950 feet.  The Associated Press contributed to this report