Airplane crash that killed four blamed on Pentagon test of GPS jamming
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that a New Mexico crash that killed four of a medical ambulance airplane on an emergency flight to pick up a sick patient occurred because of a Pentagon test of its GPS jamming capability.
On May 14, an airplane ambulance based out of Roswell, New Mexico, was called to the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in Ruidoso to pick up a patient. Before they arrived in Ruidoso, the plane went down shortly after midnight. The victims included two pilots and two flight nurses.
According to the preliminary NTSB report, investigators stated the crew reported losing GPS at midnight, minutes after departure. The report said they had to request assistance from air traffic control. “GPS jamming activities that encompassed the area around the accident flight were being conducted by the United States military during the time of the flight,” the report stated.
The report said air traffic control called their operation supervisor and requested the military to stop the GPS jamming. Air traffic control tried to guide the aircraft with radar headings and later cleared it for an instrument approach, then switched to a ground-based landing system. Several minutes later, the crew reported having a visual on Ruidoso. There were no other transmissions from the aircraft.
The report said flight tracking data showed the aircraft descending, approaching the Capitan mountains, which rise above 10,000 feet. The plane ultimately struck the side of the mountain at about 9,950 feet in elevation.
For the War Department to do this test in public areas where commercial flights occur is bad enough. Such tests should always be restricted to military bases in isolated areas, of which the Pentagon has many. If this isn’t satisfactory to the Pentagon than at a minimum it should be prepared to cancel the test instantly when notified a plane is in trouble because of it.
In this case it clearly was not prepared to cancel quickly, and thus four people died unnecessarily.
The NTSB notes this this report is still preliminary and that its investigation is on-going.
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I would also blame pilot error. The pilot in command should have been ready to switch to non-GPS navaids – which still exist. I earned my instrument rating long before GPS, so it is possible to ‘fly the beams’ safely without it. Over-reliance on GPS resulted in the PIC having no idea where he was’
‘A VOR (Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range) is a ground-based radio navigation aid that has guided aircraft for decades before GPS became widespread FLYING Magazine. It provides azimuth (direction) information to pilots, allowing them to determine their position relative to a VOR station and fly along specific radials (magnetic bearings from the station)’
Types of VOR Facilities
VOR – provides azimuth only.
VOR/DME – adds distance measurement (DME) to azimuth.
VORTAC – combines VOR and TACAN (military)
In short, VORs remain a critical backup navigation tool in aviation, especially in GPS outages, and are still taught in pilot training for safety and operational flexibility’
Outrageous!
This actually goes way beyond Strategy Over Morality and right into just plain stupid.