2024年5月14日，一架空中救护机在美军进行GPS干扰武器测试期间坠毁，机上4人全部遇难。[1]该飞机在距离机场东北约22公里的卡皮坦山脉坠落。[1]根据空中交通管制员的记录，飞行员曾向管制员报告飞机失去了GPS导航能力。[1]
这架救护机失事时，美军正在新墨西哥州怀特桑兹导弹基地附近进行GPS干扰测试。[1]虽然国家运输安全委员会的初步报告指出GPS干扰正在进行中，但尚未确认干扰是坠机的直接原因。[1]该委员会预计将于明年发布完整调查报告。[1]
近年来美国的GPS干扰事件报告呈上升趋势，从2020年的4起增加到2024年的50起。[1]
An air ambulance carrying four people crashed on May 14, 2024, in the Capitan Mountains near White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico while the U.S. military was conducting GPS jamming tests in the area.[1] The aircraft lost GPS navigation capability and went down approximately 22 kilometers northeast of the airport, killing two pilots and two nurses aboard.[1] Air traffic controllers reported that one pilot stated the plane had lost GPS ability during the incident.[1]
The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary investigation confirmed that GPS jamming was occurring at the time of the crash but stopped short of concluding that the interference directly caused the accident.[1] The agency has indicated it will release a complete report next year.[1] The incident underscores growing concerns about GPS disruptions in the United States, with reports of interference incidents rising from four in 2020 to fifty in 2024.[1]