A flight instructor who trained the stars of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick has died in a small plane crash.
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Coleman was the only person on board the two-seater monoplane when it went down during a New Mexico air show on Sunday afternoon, state authorities said.
Mr Coleman, who worked as an aerobatic flight instructor on the 2022 blockbuster, had been performing aerobatics on the Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 monoplane when it crashed at the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo at 2.30pm on Sunday.
The plane crashed around a half-mile west of where the air show was being held at Las Cruces International Airport in southern New Mexico. The remaining show was cancelled after the tragedy.
Mr Coleman's website states he was based out of California and was an engineer, aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time.
He had performed at hundreds of airshows and had provided more than 3,000 rides in aerobatic aircraft.
RIP Chuck Coleman. Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for Top Gun: Maverick. He was an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally. Chuck had a very easy going way about him and we always felt comfortable with… pic.twitter.com/93giSZdbgz
— Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) October 21, 2024
Among his work was flying more than 100 flights to prepare actors for scenes in US Navy F-18 Hornets for the Top Gun sequel.
Actor Miles Teller, who had a leading role as Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw in the film, paid tribute to Mr Coleman, saying he was “kind, humble and curious about others and the world we live in.”
“Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for Top Gun: Maverick,” he said in a tribute online.
“He was an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally. Chuck had a very easy going way about him and we always felt comfortable with his expertise at our disposal.
“He was kind, humble and curious about others and the world we live in. Gone too soon but his contributions will live on forever. Thanks for the memories, Chuck.”
In a statement, Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said: “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and fans of Chuck Coleman.”
New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the US National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
The airport was temporarily closed as the authorities responded to the scene, with only scheduled and emergency response flights permitted.
