A flight instructor and stunt pilot has been tragically killed while performing an aerobatic flight at the 2024 Las Cruces Air and Space Expo in New Mexico.
The pilot, identified as Charles Thomas ‘Chuck’ Coleman, was the sole passenger on the two-seat Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 aircraft when it went down around 14:30 local time.
Inevitably, as many people watched the exhibition program, video footage of the fatal accident was captured, with some uploaded and shared on social media.
The footage shows the aircraft, with registration N512DW, plummeting to the ground before crashing on the field. Emergency and rescue vehicles can be seen immediately rushing to the site of the crash.
The City of Las Cruces issued a live media statement confirming the accident, saying that the crash occurred during the air show segment of the expo. The statement added that investigations will be conducted by the New Mexico State Police but no further details can yet be provided.
Coleman, 61, was considered an accomplished pilot who had performed at hundreds of air shows. He helped prepare actors for the 2022 film ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, and had previously worked for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, Bede Jet Corporation and Scaled Composites.
RIP Chuck Coleman 🕊️
— Top Gun Archive (@topgunarchive) October 22, 2024
Chuck Coleman was a well-known and respected engineer, aerobatic, and test pilot. He performed at hundreds of air shows and was also an aerobatic flight instructor for the actors in “Top Gun: Maverick”.
(Read more: https://t.co/Zjv00Y0oRY) pic.twitter.com/312JZj60LY