Las Cruces, New Mexico — A man who died in a small plane crash during an air show in New Mexico was an accomplished pilot who had performed stunts at hundreds of air shows, authorities said Monday.
Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman was the only person aboard the two-seat Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 monoplane when it went down around 2:30 p.m. Sunday during the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo at Las Cruces International Airport, city officials said.
Authorities said Coleman was performing aerobatics when the plane crashed about a half mile west of the airport. The performance was canceled after the crash.
Coleman’s website said he was based out of California and was an engineer, aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time.
He performed at hundreds of air shows and had provided more than 3,000 rides in aerobatic aircraft, according to his website.
It also said Coleman was an aerobatic flight instructor for actors in the 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick,” flying more than 100 sorties to prepare the actors for flying in US Navy F-18 Hornets.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to Chuck Coleman’s loved ones,” Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said in a statement Monday.
The New Mexico State Police, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The airport was temporarily closed during the initial investigation, with only scheduled and emergency flights allowed.