Accident Summary
On April 24, 2025, about 1135 eastern daylight time, an MX Aircraft Tech PTY LTD MXS airplane, registration N530RH, was substantially damaged when it crashed at Langley Air Force Base (LFI), Hampton, Virginia. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed Smyrna Airport (MQY), Smyrna, Tennessee, and was destined for LFI, where the pilot planned to perform an aerobatic routine during an airshow.
Witness Observations
Multiple witnesses reported seeing the airplane on approach to land on runway 08. The approach appeared normal. When the airplane was over the runway threshold, it leveled off about 50 ft above the runway and flew straight down the runway for several hundred feet. The airplane then porpoised twice, pitched straight up, rolled 90° to the left, and descended to the ground.
Aircraft Information
The single-seat aerobatic airplane, serial number MXS-001, received a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on July 26, 2019, for exhibition and air racing. The pilot collaborated with the manufacturer to modify the airplane, including an access hole on each elevator to insert counterweights for adjusting elevator feel. An aluminum threaded plug sealed the counterweight hole. The most recent condition inspection was completed on March 3, 2025, at a total airframe time of 1,062 hours.
Postaccident Examination
The wreckage came to rest on a heading of 150° in a grass ditch about 100 ft left of runway 08 and 500 ft beyond the approach threshold. All major components were accounted for. The left elevator counterweight plug was missing and found about 10 ft behind the wreckage. Dirt consistent with the accident site was present on the elevator and in the counterbore and threaded area. The plug threads were intact with similar dirt. About half of the plug’s circumference showed gouging and paint transfer. The horizontal stabilizer adjacent to the left elevator plug location had dents and paint scrapes consistent with contact with the plug.
The left wing remained attached; the left aileron was intact but the outer section fractured at its hinge. The right wing remained attached. The center fuel tank was breached; left and right fuel tanks were empty. The empennage was intact; the left elevator was fractured off the outer hinge. The elevator trim tab was in the full up (nose down) position. The right elevator was intact. The rudder was intact with the bottom crushed. The cockpit and instrument panel showed impact damage; the throttle grip and control column were fractured. Flight control continuity was traced from the control stick to all surfaces. The right aileron torque tube was fractured consistent with impact.
The propeller hub remained attached to the crankshaft; two of three blades were broken off at the hub, the remaining blade had minor scarring. The oil sump/air plenum was fractured; exhaust and intake tubes crushed upward. Top sparkplugs appeared normal per Champion Aviation chart AV-27. Hand rotation of the crankshaft produced thumb compression at all cylinders and confirmed drivetrain continuity. The primary flight display and wreckage were retained for further examination.
Pilot Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, multiengine land, and gliders, as well as flight instructor and ground instructor certificates. On his most recent FAA second-class medical certificate application, dated March 5, 2025, he reported 15,387 hours of total flight experience.