National Transportation Safety Board authorities investigating the 2025 accident that killed aerobatic pilot Rob Holland have determined the failure of a custom counterweight plug resulted in a jammed elevator and subsequent loss of control during landing.
Holland, 50, was one of the top aerobatic pilots in the world. He held an ATP certificate and had more than 15,000 hours of flight experience.
The accident occurred on April 24 at approximately 11:35 a.m. ET as Holland was attempting to land his aerobatic MX Aircraft Tech MXS airplane at Langley Air Force Base (KLFI) in Hampton, Virginia.
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The weather was clear and the winds calm at the time of the accident.
According to witnesses, the airplane made a smooth approach to Runway 08, leveling off about 50 feet above the runway and flying straight down the runway for several hundred feet, then it porpoised twice, pitching up 45 to 60 degrees then climbing several hundred feet and rolling 90 degrees to the left. The aircraft rolled and descended straight down to the ground.
The aircraft pancaked in a ditch off the side of the runway. The NTSB report notes that “all major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The left elevator counterweight plug was located about 10 feet behind the wreckage in the grass.”
An electronic flight instrument system was recovered from the accident airplane. The data were consistent with the witness descriptions of the accident sequence.
According to the medical examiner, the cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma. Holland tested negative for all drugs.
Holland had flown to Virginia from Smyrna Airport (KMQY) in Tennessee because he was slated to perform in the Air Power Over Hampton Roads airshow in the MXS. Holland had been performing aerobatics in the customized all-carbon fiber single-seat aerobatic aircraft since 2011. The aircraft was built by a company in Australia.
According to the NTSB final report, the aircraft was issued a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category for the purpose of exhibition and air racing on July 26, 2019.
A representative of the airframe manufacturer stated that Holland had contacted them requesting the company incorporate an adjustable balance tube into the design of the elevator during its construction.
Per the NTSB report: “The design included an access hole in the left and right elevator horns to insert counterweights. The access hole/tube was covered by a plug. The manufacturer described that the plugs were designed as a short-term solution and that no manuals or other information was provided specifying torque valves to be used when installing the plug. The airframe manufacturer also provided a design drawing for the plug that appeared to be dimensionally different from the plug found installed in the accident airplane. The design document also called for an o-ring, which the airframe manufacturer described as a locking device. No o-rings were found on either of the plugs associated with the accident airplane. When asked about the differences observed between the specified plug and the plugs found on the accident airplane, the airframe manufacturer could not explain the discrepancy.”
Following the accident the aircraft manufacturer published an undated mandatory safety notice (SN 2025-01), which was applicable to MXS and MX2 airplanes fitted with adjustable balance tubes that provided instructions for filling existing adjustable balance tubes with a lead/resin mixture.
In November 2025 Holland was posthumously inducted into the EAA Sport Aviation Hall of Fame. He learned to fly as a teenager and went on to win many aerobatic competitions and became a favorite performer at airshows.
Among his accomplishments:
- Thirteen-time consecutive U.S. National Aerobatic champion
- Six-time world 4-minute freestyle champion
- Fourteen-time U.S. 4-minute freestyle champion
- 2015 World Air Games freestyle gold medalist
- 2012 Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award recipient
- 2008 World Advanced Aerobatic champion
- Ten-time U.S. Aerobatic Team member
- 37 medals in international competition (14 Gold)