A famous stunt pilot died after crashing his custom-built experimental aircraft at Joint Base Langley-Eustis on Thursday, just days before he was scheduled to perform during an air show at the Virginia military installation.
Rob Holland, a multicompetition-winning aerobatic pilot who had performed in front of millions of audience members, died after a crash at the Hampton, Virginia, military base, according to a post on his company’s Facebook page. He was scheduled to perform at the Air Power over Hampton Roads air show this upcoming weekend.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident,” the post on his company’s Facebook page said. “Rob was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history.”
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Col. Matthew Altman, commander of the 633d Air Base Wing, told reporters Thursday that the crash occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time during final approach to the base’s runway ahead of the air show.
“Tragically, in that loss, we lost a great friend to the Air Force,” Altman said. “On behalf of all of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, all the friends and family of the pilot, just want to offer our deepest, deepest condolences.”
Altman told reporters in a follow-up press conference Friday that the Air Power over Hampton Roads show this weekend would still be going on as planned.
“I’ve always had a deep respect for those who fly, and over the last 24 hours, I’ve gained even more of a tremendous appreciation for the aviators and professionals that orchestrate these air shows and the air show community,” Altman said. “Based on consultation and their strong recommendation, consultation with the NTSB and our team’s preparedness to execute a safe air show, we’ve decided to proceed.”
National Transportation Safety Board Air Safety Investigator Daniel Boggs told reporters during that same press conference on Friday that an investigation is ongoing into how the pilot lost control during landing and crashed on terrain between the taxiway and one of the runways at the military base.
Boggs said the plane was a single-seat, single-engine MSX experimental aircraft that was “specifically built and designed for air shows,” adding that it had nearly double the horsepower of a typical plane its size. The pilot was coming in for a standard landing and was not performing any acrobatic functions at the time of the crash.
A final report into the cause of the crash is expected within 12 to 18 months, Boggs said.
Holland was a 13-time consecutive U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, a six-time World 4-minute freestyle champion, a 10-time U.S. Aerobatic Team Member and a 2015 World Air Games Freestyle Gold Medalist, among other accolades, according to his website.
John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows, told Military.com in an interview that Holland was a legendary member of the air show community.
“He was one of the best aerobatic pilots, maybe ever, and we were all very fortunate to be able to watch him perform for these last 25 years or so,” Cudahy said. “He was sort of the personification of professionalism, hard work, just amazing attention to detail as far as safety and his own practice and preparation.”
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