A fatal crash was reported at the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo

Algernon D'Ammassa Las Cruces Bulletin

This story was last updated on October 20 at 10:10 p.m.

The second annual Las Cruces Air and Space Expo ended abruptly Sunday afternoon when a plane crashed during an aerobatic display over the municipal airport west of the city.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the city released few details: A single plane crashed around 2:30 p.m. The pilot has not been identified pending notification of family members. The Las Cruces Sun-News later reported that New Mexico State Police confirmed one person had been killed in launching the initial investigation.

The Las Cruces Bulletin could not independently confirm the death Sunday night, but tributes began appearing on stunt pilot and flight instructor Chuck Coleman's Facebook page.

The event, which was scheduled to end at 4 p.m. on Sunday, was immediately canceled.

A livestream of the air show on Sunday appeared to show that the crash occurred around 2:32 p.m. during a solo aerobatic display by Coleman.

Spectator Terre Blevins, who attended both days of the fair, captured Coleman's exciting performance on her cell phone.

For four minutes, Coleman performed loops, rolls and Cuban maneuvers, often pulling straight up and flying over the runways as a jet of white paraffin smoke trailed behind the plane. Then the plane suddenly appeared to tumble awkwardly before slamming nose-first into the ground and disappearing behind a layer of desert scrub some distance from onlookers.

“There was this big cloud of dirt,” Blevins recalled, “and then I looked at the security guard next to me. I thought, 'Did he crash?' And she just ran.

Blevins said she brought her 87-year-old father, an air show enthusiast, and they met Coleman briefly before his performance. She said they were both in shock after witnessing the crash.

“He died doing what he loved,” she said. “I feel sorry for his family.”

The live stream's audio captures the horrified cries of viewers and the announcer's request to stay in their seats as first responders rush to the crash site. The livestream ends abruptly shortly after a fire engine races down the catwalk.

Blevins said that after first responders arrived at the scene, spectators were instructed to calmly leave the airport and not post about the crash on social media until more information was available.

According to his website, Coleman is an aerospace engineer, air show stunt pilot and flight instructor who has participated in hundreds of air shows as the pilot of an Extra Flugzeugbau 300L two-seat aircraft. This was the plane he was flying on Sunday, according to his appearance at a media event at the airport on October 18, when he pointed out the plane on the tarmac behind him.

Coleman also appeared in films and television and trained actors for the film “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Neither city nor state police reported a passenger on Coleman's flight.

A phone number associated with Coleman went straight to voicemail Sunday evening as commenters on his Facebook page reported witnessing his plane crash.

Coleman also flew during the inaugural aerospace trade show last year.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.