HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — The pilot of a plane that crashed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton Thursday has died.

Rob Holland of Rob Holland Aerosports died in the crash, according to his official Facebook page. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash happened while the pilot was attempting to land ahead of the Air Power over Hampton Roads air show scheduled for this weekend.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB leading the investigation.

NTSB is investigating the crash of an experimental MX Aircraft MXS near Hampton, Virginia.

— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 24, 2025

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident at Langley AFB, VA,” the post states. “The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and is under investigation by the FAA, NTSB, and DOD.”

The post noted that Holland “was one of the most respected and inspiring aerobatic pilots in aviation history.”

“On behalf of all Joint Base Langley-Eustis, all the friends and family of the pilot, we just want to offer our deepest, deepest condolences to the family, to the friends, all who loved and respected him,” said Col. Matthew Altman, Joint Base Langley Eustis commander.

According to officials, around 11:50 a.m., an MX Aircraft MXS — a two-seat sport aircraft — crashed while attempting to land at the base.

The pilot was the only person onboard at the time of the incident.

In a statement, Joint Base Langley-Eustis said that “a civilian aircraft crashed at approximately 11:39 a.m. today on Joint Base Langley-Eustis while landing in preparation for the Air Power over Hampton Roads air show scheduled for this weekend.”

Altman talked about what Holland’s flights meant.

“Today we lost a friend of our Air Force family,” Altman said. “On behalf of our entire JBLE team, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of this incredible aviator.”

It said the pilot was the only person on board, and he died as a result of the crash.

Holland was a 13-time, consecutive U.S. national aerobatic champion and a six-time world 4-minute freestyle champion and 14-time U.S. 4-minute freestyle champion. He was celebrating 23 years in the airshow industry in 2025 and had been a pilot since 1992.

Altman said the base’s focus is supporting the investigation as well as Holland’s family, and said that they will have share updates about the scheduled airshow soon.

“We are working through those discussions. Our team is still postured to support a stem event [Friday] and to support an event this weekend. But we want to be careful to share those details,” Altman said. “We’re talking through what the weekend looks like now, and we’ll be sure to share those details as soon as we have them tomorrow.”

Altman added the crash is under investigation. 

“At this time, we are postured to support the NTSB investigation, which will start [Friday],” Altman said.

Altman, during a press briefing Thursday, talked about Holland’s legacy.

“I think I’m one of millions of people who saw this individual fly,” Altman said. “We do airshows to open the base, to bring people on, to inspire future airmen to look up and imagine what can be, and this individual did it better than anybody. So I think myself, everybody on this base, and particularly anybody who wore flight suits and challenged the skies will deeply, deeply miss him.”

10 On Your Side has reporters at the scene and will provide more updates as they come in.