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This story was last updated at 3:40 p.m. on Oct. 21.
The second annual Las Cruces Air and Space Expo came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon as a plane crashed during an aerobatic performance over the city's municipal airport west of town.
Spectators watching a daring routine by renowned stunt pilot, aerospace engineer and flight instructor Charles T. "Chuck" Coleman fell silent and then expressed horror as they watched Coleman's nose-dive into the ground at about 2:32 p.m., bringing the two-day spectacle to a grim halt.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the city released few details: At approximately 2:30 p.m., a single plane went down. The pilot was not identified as family members were being notified. Later, New Mexico State Police confirmed that a person was killed.
What spectators knew, but was not officially confirmed until the following day, was that Coleman, a veteran of hundreds of air shows all over the country, and was known for training actors in the movie "Top Gun: Maverick" for the physical stress suffered by fighter pilots, was piloting the plane that crashed.
Many had unwittingly filmed the crash with their mobile phones – something the event organizers knew well, as the show's announcer requested they not post about the incident on social media until Coleman's family could be notified.
As evening arrived, tributes began appearing in comments to recent posts on Coleman's Facebook page, where he shared photographs from last year's expo and announced his return to Las Cruces for the event's second year.
The event, scheduled to end at 4 p.m. Sunday, was immediately canceled.
A live stream of Sunday's air show showed the crash occurred at about 2:32 p.m. during a solo aerobatic performance by Coleman.
Spectator Terre Blevins, who attended both days of the expo, was among those who captured Coleman's thrilling display on her mobile phone.
For four minutes, Coleman executed loops, rolls and cuban manuevers, frequently pulling straight upward and soaring over the runways with a stream of white paraffin smoke trailing behind the plane. Then, suddenly, the plane appeared to tumble awkwardly before heading nose-first to the ground, disappearing behind a layer of desert brush at a distance from the spectators.
"It was this big puff of dirt," Blevins recalled, "and then I looked at the security guard next to me. I'm like, 'Did he crash?' And she just took off running."
Blevins said she brought her 87-year-old father, an air show enthusiast, with her, and that they briefly met Coleman before his performance. She said they were both in shock after witnessing the crash.
"He died doing what he loved," she said. "I feel bad for his family."
The live stream's audio captures the sounds of spectators exclaiming in horror, and the announcer asking them to remain in their seats while first responders rush to the crash site. The live stream abruptly ends just after a fire department vehicle can be scene racing down the runway.
Blevins said that after first responders arrived at the scene, spectators were instructed to leave the airport calmly, and to refrain from posting 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 flew in hundreds of air shows piloting an Extra Flugzeugbau 300L two-seat plane. This was the plane he flew on Sunday, according to his appearance at a media event at the airport on Oct. 18, when he pointed out the plane on the tarmac behind him.
Coleman had flown during the inaugural air and space expo last year as well.
The city confirmed Coleman's death on Monday afternoon and encouraged spectators with photos and footage of the accident to share them with the National Transportation Safety Board at its website. The crash is being investigated by New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The airport remained closed on Monday except for scheduled and emergency response flights, the city said, as the initial investigation continued.
