Downed Plane Halts Air and Space Expo Sunday: UPDATE-City Identifies Pilot in Sunday Accident -

A plane participating in the 2024 Las Cruces Air and Space Expo went down Sunday afternoon, the second day of the event.

Source: City of Las Cruces

The pilot who died Sunday, Oct. 20, during the second day of the 2024 Las Cruces Air and Space Expo has been identified as Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman who was based out of California.

“Unfortunately, we had a tragic ending to our Air and Space Expo this weekend,” said Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez. “There was an aircraft accident during Sunday’s performance that resulted in the death of pilot, Charles T. “Chuck” Coleman.

^{Chuck T. Coleman (aviator, test pilot, airshow pilot and aerospace engineer), speaking to members of the media prior to the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo. His most recent accolades include training the actors of Top Gun: Maverick on understanding how to withstand the G forces. (Las Cruces Digest Photo)}

“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and fans of Chuck Coleman.”

Coleman was a well known and respected engineer, aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time according to information posted online. He performed at hundreds of airshows and had provided more than 3,000 rides in aerobatic aircraft.

Coleman was also an aerobatic flight instructor for actors in the 2022 motion picture, “Top Gun: Maverick,” where he flew more than 100 flights in preparing actors to fly in Navy F-18 Hornets.

Sunday’s accident, which occurred about 2:30 p.m. at the Las Cruces International Airport, is currently being investigated by New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Spectators who may have photos or video of the accident are encouraged to share them with the National Transportation Safety Board at the NTSB website.

The Las Cruces International Airport is temporarily closed during the initial investigation. Only scheduled and emergency response flights are permitted to utilize the airport during the temporary closure.

More information will be provided by the City as it becomes available.

–Original Post–

^{Las Cruces Fire and Rescue responds to downed plane at Las Cruces Air and Space Expo. (Screenshot of live video stream)}

The plane went down about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, during the event held at the Las Cruces International Airport.

First responders and airport rescue teams responded to the downed aircraft. The cause of the downed plane and the status of the pilot are not available at this time. The FAA and NTSB have investigators en route to the scene.

The Air and Space Expo was scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m. Sunday. The remainder of the air show has been canceled.

New Mexico State Police will assume control of the initial investigation, and they have confirmed that the pilot and sole occupant was killed.

The pilots family has been notified, but no other information is available at this time.

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.