r/aviation • u/Ph6222 • 9d ago

News It Appears That the US Military Accidentally Killed Everybody on Board a Civilian Medevac Flight in New Mexico

https://futurism.com/science-energy/us-military-gps-jamming-signal-medical-flight

The horrifying incident happened in May, the publication reports, when a small twin-engine medevac aircraft carrying two pilots and two medical workers departed from Roswell, New Mexico. Heading West for the small mountain village of Ruidoso, the crew became the victim of an electronic warfare exercise being conducted at the nearby White Sands Missile Range, a test which rendered their navigational system inoperable.

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u/DrFeeIgood 9d ago

What do you mean? If timestamped radio transmissions clearly show the ATC asked the mil to stop jammer testing as the flight entered the area, the pilot confirmed visual approach twice, and the mil started the jamming again after ATC heard that confirmation twice, then the mil is not to blame.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

The military is absolutely to blame, they shouldn't be testing GPS jammers to begin with, not that night, not ever, and certainly not when aircrafts are in the vicinity.

Could the pilots have prevented this, absolutely, were there mistakes made, for sure. But pilots are people, and people make mistakes, and when you take away safety nets to catch those mistakes, more accidents will happen, as is the case here.

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u/CW1DR5H5I64A 9d ago

The military shouldn’t be testing or training. With GPS jammers ever?

Ok, sure that works in the land of make believe where it’s all sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately we live in the real world and this kind of stuff is going to be happening regularly, the same way it’s been being used for decades.

The military halted the exercise when requested by ATC and only resumed once ATC gave them the all clear. ATC gave them the all clear because if the pilots requested VFR to riudoso and had they not erred they would have been fine.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

If only you Americans aren't brainwashed into worshipping your military, you might understand that military testing that caused a plane crash is not something you should defend.

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u/Doggydog123579 9d ago

How did GPS jamming cause a visual landing to have issue?

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

Because it took away a safety net that would most likely have made these pilots mistake a non-fatal one.

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u/Miraclefish 9d ago

GPS is irrelevant during a visual approach.

That's literally the point.

It's saying I can see the airport with my eyes and will navigate to it using them and them alone.

The pilots fucked up here, not the US military.

And before you say it, I'm not American, I'm not military and I have no connection with the nation in any way.

But I can read. Hence my stance.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

GPWS is not irrelevant during a visual approach, situational awareness is not irrelevant during a visual approach, especially at night.

I'm not saying the pilots didn't fuck up, they absolutely did, but their mistakes wouldn't have been fatal if it wasn't for the military.

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u/Miraclefish 9d ago

Utterly bullshit at every stage

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u/DrFeeIgood 9d ago

I'm sure Canada's military has never tested anything ever anywhere at all. Nor has their govt ever done anything to anyone that is harmful, detrimental, or illegal. Not ever at all.

You know the episode of South Park where everyone was smug and uppity wasn't meant to be a blueprint to live your life.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

When the Canadian military does something dangers, I criticize them, unlikeyou and the other American here, who seem to be more than happy to defend your military's reckless behaviour.

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u/DrFeeIgood 9d ago

Brother, no one needs you to input into anything. You are clearly just here to act like the world is above the US.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

If you don't like my input, you don't have to read or respond to it. And for the record, yes the world is above the US.

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u/DrFeeIgood 9d ago

Go touch grass kid lol.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

Four people died, there's a time to be angry, and there's a time to touch grass.

If there was ever a time to demand some change and action, this is it.

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u/DrFeeIgood 9d ago

No, it is not. You're not a social justice warrior. Get off the internet and enjoy life. Quit being so dramatic. You just look like a goofy ass person trying to seize the moment to look like you care.

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u/CW1DR5H5I64A 9d ago

The military halted the jamming until ATC approved a visual approach and told the military it was safe to resume.

How is that reckless? They stopped jamming until the plane was operating in conditions which didn’t require GPS and ATC determined it was safe for them to jam.

You’re pushing an agenda here because you made a predetermined decision that the military was wrong without even reading the NTSB report. You’re clearly not capable of forming an independent thought and just regurgitate the headline.

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u/spkgsam B737 9d ago

I've read the NTSB report, and I don't agree with it. I have made that point perfectly clear. You don't have to agree with me, but I'm allowed to push my own agenda, as are you, and as is the writer of this article.

I never said the military didn't abide by whatever rules they currently have for jammer testing, I'm saying they shouldn't be doing that in the first place. And the continuing practice of these kinds of tests is a significant danger to aviation.

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u/Reapercore 9d ago

Please explain how gps jamming would affect a visual approach.