The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says they are "investigating the crash of an experimental MX Aircraft MXS." Based on initial gatherings, the plane crashed while "on approach" to Langley Air Force Base.
This crash happened days before the biennial Air Power Over Hampton Roads air show. Holland had recently performed at the 2023 Air Power show and is a frequent sight at air show events. Officials confirmed on Friday they expect to continue on with the air show.
Just after 4 p.m., officials with Joint Base Langley-Eustis said they were canceling a media scheduled for Thursday afternoon with U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilots "due to unforeseen circumstances."
The base confirmed the fatal crash at 11:39 a.m., and said it was related to the air show.
“Today we lost a friend of our Air Force family,” said Col. Matthew Altman, Joint Base Langley-Eustis commander. “On behalf of our entire JBLE team, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of this incredible aviator.”
An NTSB investigator is expecting to arrive Friday at Langley to begin looking into the cause of the crash.
The below message was taken from his Facebook account
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.
We would greatly appreciate your respect to the privacy of his family and friends.
And remember…. Never ever give up on your dreams.
Aircraft Information:
Owner / Operator: Rob Holland Ultimate Airshows LLC
Aircraft: MX Aircraft MXS-RH
Registration: N530RH
Serial Number: MX-001
Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 SERFirst Flew: 17/07/2019
Age: 5.9 Years
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
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