Top Gun flight instructor: Pilot who trained 'Top Gun: Maverick' actors dies in plane crash - Miles Teller leads tributes
A pilot who trained Top Gun: Maverick actors has died in a plane crash in Mexico.
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Coleman was an accomplished pilot who had performed stunts at hundreds of air shows. He was the only person on board the two-seat Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 monoplane when it went down around 2:30pm on Sunday (20 October) 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 show was called off 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. It also said Coleman was an aerobatic flight instructor for actors in the 2022 film " Top Gun: Maverick," flying more than 100 flights to prepare the actors for flight in U.S. Navy F-18 Hornets.
New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The airport was temporarily closed during the initial investigation, with only scheduled and emergency response flights allowed.
Actor Miles Teller who starred in the 2022 Top Gun film posted a tribute on X, formerly Twitter. He said: “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 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”.