Terrifying final moments of Top Gun: Maverick flight instructor Charles Coleman as aircraft hit the ground

Terrifying footage captured a formation instructors last moments arsenic his craft plummeted to the ground astatine an aerial amusement successful New Mexico connected Sunday.

Charles Thomas 'Chuck' Coleman was flying the aforesaid Extra Flugzeugbau 300L two-seater helium utilized to bid the formed of Top Gun: Maverick erstwhile it suddenly went down astir 2:30pm connected Sunday during the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo astatine Las Cruces International Airport.

For 4 minutes prior, Coleman had expertly executed loops, rolls and Cuban maneuvers - often pulling consecutive upward and soaring implicit the runways with a watercourse of achromatic fume billowing down him, the Las Cruces Bulletin reports.

Video taken by a bystander adjacent shows Coleman flying consecutive up into the air, and doing immoderate tube rolls earlier the level started to uncontrollably tumble nose-down to the ground.

It past disappeared down a furniture of godforsaken brushwood astatine a region from wherever the spectators were standing.

'It was this large puff of dirt,' Terre Blevins, who took the video, told the Bulletin.

'And past I looked astatine the information defender adjacent to me. I'm like, "Did helium crash?" and she took disconnected running.'

An announcer successful the video could past beryllium heard telling spectators, 'If you person societal media, delight enactment disconnected of it for now.

'We person exigency crews connected the way,' the announcer could beryllium heard telling those successful attendance astatine the aerial show. 'We person occurrence crews connected the way.'

The remainder of the amusement was abruptly canceled pursuing the crash, and Blevins said that aft archetypal responders arrived connected the scene, spectators were instructed to permission the airdrome calmly. 

Officials yet announced Coleman's decease connected Monday.

'We would similar to widen our deepest condolences to the loved ones and fans of Chuck Coleman,' Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said successful a connection astatine the time.

Coleman's website said helium was based retired of California and was an engineer, aerobatic and trial aviator with much than 10,000 hours of formation time.

He performed astatine hundreds of airshows and had provided much than 3,000 rides successful aerobatic aircraft, according to his website.

'He was 1 of the astir skilled pilots retired there,' his friend, Christopher Van Pelt told KFOX. 'think what this nonaccomplishment represents is, is truly the nonaccomplishment of a mentor, the nonaccomplishment of a friend.' 

Coleman and Van Pelt became friends successful 2010 and instantly connected. They've spent plentifulness of clip successful the aerial together. 

'We spent a full batch of clip together. I can't adjacent number however galore hours we spent successful the aerial together,' helium told KFOX. 'I perfectly loved moving with Chuck.

'He was precise skilled and besides precise talented. but you know, erstwhile you’re riding connected the razor's edge, this benignant of happening tin hap nary substance however bully you are.' 

Van Pelt said Coleman's resume was the 'height of the size of my body,' saying the formation teacher 'got to enactment connected conscionable a ton of fascinating things.' 

The person recalled Coleman getting a 'kick retired of' being asked to articulation Top Gun: Maverick and enactment with the likes of Teller and others. 

'That was thing that helium truly got a footwear retired of. Just giving them, really, their archetypal acquisition earlier they went disconnected to movie the movie,' helium told KFOX.  

Actor Miles Teller, who was 1 of the stars of Top Gun: Maverick and was featured connected Coleman's Instagram, besides payed tribute to the formation instructor.

'Chuck was our aerobatics formation teacher and instrumental successful our mentation for Top Gun: Maverick,' helium wrote connected X. 'He was an aerospace engineer, aerial amusement and trial aviator and our person and ally.

'Chuck had a precise easy-going mode astir him, and we ever felt comfy with his expertise astatine our disposal.

'He was kind, humble and funny astir others and the satellite we unrecorded in,' Teller continued.

'Gone excessively soon, but his contributions volition unrecorded connected forever. Thanks for the memories, Chuck.' 

New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are present investigating the clang that led to his death.