Pilot Killed In A Plane Crash At New Mexico Air Show Was Instructor For ‘Top Gun’ Actors
October 22, 2024 1:44PM EDT
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A man who died in a small plane crash during a New Mexico air show was an accomplished pilot who had performed stunts at hundreds of air shows.
Las Cruces city officials said Monday that Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman was the only person on board a monoplane when it crashed during the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo.
Authorities say Coleman was performing aerobatics Sunday when the plane crashed about a half-mile west of the airport.
Coleman’s website says he was based out of California and was an engineer and an aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time.
It says he was an aerobatic flight instructor for actors in the 2022 movie “Top Gun: Maverick.”