Pilot killed in ‘experimental' plane crash at Langley Air Force Base
An investigation is underway after an aerobatic pilot was killed in an 'experimental' aircraft crash at Joint Base Langley-Eustis on Thursday.
A Facebook statement released on Rob Holand Aerosports page identified Rob Holand as the aerobatic pilot killed in Thursday's crash at Langley Air Force Base. The New York Post reported that the crash involving Holland's 'experimental' MX Aircraft MXS occurred just prior to noon on Thursday while the pilot was attempting to land at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
'It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident at Langley AFB, VA,' Rob Holand Aerosports stated in Thursday's Facebook post. 'The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and is under investigation by the FAA, NTSB, and DOD.'
The Facebook statement added, 'Rob was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history. Even with an absolutely impressive list of accomplishments, both in classical competition aerobatics and within the air show world, Rob was the most humble person with a singular goal to simply be better than he was yesterday.'
According to Fox News, Holland had 12 consecutive wins at the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships and five wins at the Freestyle Aerobatic Championships. The outlet noted that Holland also received the International Council of Airshows' Art Scholl Award for Showmanship.
READ MORE: Video: 6 killed in helicopter crash in Hudson River
According to Holland's website, the aerobatic pilot was expected to participate on Saturday and Sunday in the Hampton Roads airshow at Joint Base Langely-Eustis prior to Thursday's fatal crash.
'Today we lost a friend of our Air Force family,' Col. Matthew Altman, commander of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, said in a statement obtained by Military Times. 'On behalf of our entire JBLE team, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of this incredible aviator.'
According to Fox News, Langley Air Force Base officials confirmed that Thursday's incident is 'currently under investigation,' adding, 'The safety and security of our personnel and the local community are our top priorities.'
The National Transportation Safety Board also released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, confirming that the agency was 'investigating the crash of an experimental MX Aircraft MXS.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Old visuals misrepresented as Air India crash
"This is a live video of the plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, at that time, in which a boy came live on Facebook before the Boeing 787-8 plane crashed, and this accident happened at the same time," says a Hindi-language Facebook post shared just hours after the disaster. One man aboard the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner miraculously survived the fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital (archived link). The video in the post, which was also shared on X, shows a young passenger inadvertently filming the final moments before the plane he was in crashes. "Footage Just before the Ahmedabad flight crash," says a TikTok post that shared another clip, showing a cabin filled with smoke. Another post, written in Burmese and shared on Facebook, contains a picture of a burning aircraft on a runway. "London-bound Indian plane carrying 242 passengers, crashed in Gujarat, many feared dead," the caption reads. The circulating visuals are unrelated to the Air India tragedy. A reverse image search of the first video's keyframes led to news reports about a plane crash in central Nepal in January 2023 (archived here and here). The Yeti Airlines service was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a gateway for religious pilgrims and trekkers, when it crashed on descent. All 72 on board were killed (archived link). According to Britain's The Guardian newspaper, local police and a close friend of the young man shown in the recording verified his identity and several other individuals in the footage (archived link). Meanwhile, the second clip has earlier been posted on TikTok on March 16, 2023 with a caption indicating it was taken on-board the Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair (archived link). The TikTok user indicated the passengers were safe and filmed a separate clip showing himself inside the plane reacting to the commotion (archived link). The aircraft's interior shown in the falsely shared clip matches a stock image taken inside a Ryanair plane (archived link). Finally, the falsely shared picture has earlier been published in multiple news articles about the Jeju Air crash in South Korea on December 29, 2024 (archived here and here). AFP also distributed the photo. Its caption reads: "In this handout photo provided by the South Korean National Fire Agency, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 burns after skidding off the runway at Muan International Airport on December 29, 2024 in Muan-gun, South Korea." The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 passengers from Thailand when it smashed into a barrier during its landing at Muan International Airport and burst into flames. The impact killed everyone aboard except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage (archived link).
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Old visuals misrepresented as Air India crash
"This is a live video of the plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, at that time, in which a boy came live on Facebook before the Boeing 787-8 plane crashed, and this accident happened at the same time," says a Hindi-language Facebook post shared just hours after the disaster. One man aboard the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner miraculously survived the fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital (archived link). The video in the post, which was also shared on X, shows a young passenger inadvertently filming the final moments before the plane he was in crashes. "Footage Just before the Ahmedabad flight crash," says a TikTok post that shared another clip, showing a cabin filled with smoke. Another post, written in Burmese and shared on Facebook, contains a picture of a burning aircraft on a runway. "London-bound Indian plane carrying 242 passengers, crashed in Gujarat, many feared dead," the caption reads. The circulating visuals are unrelated to the Air India tragedy. A reverse image search of the first video's keyframes led to news reports about a plane crash in central Nepal in January 2023 (archived here and here). The Yeti Airlines service was flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a gateway for religious pilgrims and trekkers, when it crashed on descent. All 72 on board were killed (archived link). According to Britain's The Guardian newspaper, local police and a close friend of the young man shown in the recording verified his identity and several other individuals in the footage (archived link). Meanwhile, the second clip has earlier been posted on TikTok on March 16, 2023 with a caption indicating it was taken on-board the Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair (archived link). The TikTok user indicated the passengers were safe and filmed a separate clip showing himself inside the plane reacting to the commotion (archived link). The aircraft's interior shown in the falsely shared clip matches a stock image taken inside a Ryanair plane (archived link). Finally, the falsely shared picture has earlier been published in multiple news articles about the Jeju Air crash in South Korea on December 29, 2024 (archived here and here). AFP also distributed the photo. Its caption reads: "In this handout photo provided by the South Korean National Fire Agency, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 burns after skidding off the runway at Muan International Airport on December 29, 2024 in Muan-gun, South Korea." The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 passengers from Thailand when it smashed into a barrier during its landing at Muan International Airport and burst into flames. The impact killed everyone aboard except for two flight attendants plucked from the wreckage (archived link).
Associated Press
13 hours ago
- Associated Press
A'ja Wilson doubtful for Aces' game against Wings due to head injury
twitter instagram facebook Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. twitter instagram facebook Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
