Small plane crashes at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia with 1 person onboard
A small plane with one person onboard crashed at the Langley Air Force Base in Virginia the morning of April 24, officials confirmed.
A pilot attempted to land a single seat aircraft at the Air Force base shortly before noon local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The medical status of the pilot is unclear, though no deaths were reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for the Joint Base Langley-Eustis for information on the pilot's medical condition.
An FAA spokesperson confirmed the pilot was flying an MX Aircraft MXS, a carbon fiber aircraft that emphasizes "performance and agility" for single riders, according to the aerobatic company's website.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board is leading with the FAA's assistance.
Virginia crash comes amid worries over aviation safety
Several crashes involving small planes have made headlines this spring, although data shows such crashes are typically much more common than commercial airline disasters.
On April 19, a small plane crashed into a field in rural Illinois, killing all four people onboard, state police confirmed. The day prior, three people on board another Cessna 180 were killed when it crashed into a river in Nebraska.
A week earlier, six people died after a Mitsubishi MU-2B crashed in upstate New York on April 12, about a day after three other people died when a small plane lost control and crashed onto a busy street in Boca Raton, Florida.
Other recent aviation accidents have made national headlines as well. On April 10, a New York City tour helicopter crashed, killing all aboard. Five people were injured after a small plane crashed into a body of water at an Oregon airport on April 7. In late March, a small plane crashed into a suburban Minneapolis home.
These incidents also follow several high-profile crashes in 2025 that have sparked scrutiny over aviation safety in the U.S. Though experts have maintained that aviation remains extremely safe, fatal incidents have raised concerns about flying.
Data from the NTSB shows that overall, aviation accidents were down from 2023 to 2024.
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