Celebrated aerobatic pilot Rob Holland has died in a crash at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay.
Holland’s aerobatic aircraft, the MX Aircraft MXS, was attempting to land at Langley Air Force Base at about 11:50 AM on April 24, 2025, when the accident occurred, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It was reported that Holland was the sole occupant of the aircraft.
The crash occurred as the pilot was scheduled to perform at the Air Power Over Hampton Roads air show over the weekend of April 26–27, 2025.
“The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and is under investigation by the FAA, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Department of Defense (DOD),” Holland’s company’s Facebook page confirmed in a statement.
Holland was one of the best-known premier airshow performers and freestyle aerobatic competition pilots in the world. His company, Rob Holland Ultimate Airshows, has the “largest social media following of any civilian airshow performer worldwide,” according to his website.
Holland won the US National Aerobatic Championship 13 times in a row, was a six-time World Freestyle Champion, and received the Art Scholl Award for Showmanship. He also earned 37 international medals, 14 of them gold, and represented the US Aerobatic Team 10 times.
“Rob was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history,” Rob Holland Aerosports statement read. “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.”
The aircraft in the accident was entirely made of carbon fiber, as stated by Rob Holland Aerosports. It was designed by MX Aircraft in North Carolina with input from Holland himself. The aircraft had a 380-horsepower engine, weighed around 1,200 pounds, and was built to withstand extreme forces of up to 16 Gs, allowing it to roll nearly 500 degrees per second.
