LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Federal investigators are looking into what caused a deadly plane crash at the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo Sunday.  

The Las Cruces mayor identified the pilot Monday as Charles T. Coleman from California.

City officials say Coleman was a well known and respected aerobatic and test pilot with more than 10,000 hours of flight time.

Coleman was also an aerobatic flight instructor for actors in the 2022 movie “Top Gun: Maverick” where he flew more than 100 flights, preparing actors to fly in the Navy F-18 Hornets.

New Mexico State Police say Coleman died on the second day of the air show. Organizers canceled the rest of the events after the crash. 

“We had a single aircraft incident today during the air show portion of our Las Cruces Air and Space Expo. The investigation of this incident will be run by the New Mexico State Police. At this time we are not releasing any details as we are still in the process of starting the investigation and contacting the performer’s family,” said Andy Hume, director of the Las Cruces International Airport.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive in Las Cruces Monday to start their investigation. They say a preliminary report should be available within 30 days.