Montana COYOTE accident near Fredericksburg, VA
On July 14, 2026, a Montana COYOTE (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fredericksburg, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 14, 2026
- Place
- Fredericksburg, VA
- Aircraft
- Montana COYOTE · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.271°N, 77.444°W
- NTSB ID
- 20260714203389
NTSB summary
On July 14, 2026, about 1105 eastern daylight time, an experimental Montana Coyote airplane, N448VQ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight. Family members reported that the pilot was conducting a flight test after completing repairs to the airplane after a landing ground loop during a Phase 1 flight test on May 17, 2024. Video surveillance showed the airplane departing about 1049 from runway 24 at the Shannon Airport (EZF) in Fredericksburg, Virgina. ADS-B radar data then showed the airplane departing the traffic pattern to the south before returning to airport a few minutes after departure. At 1102, additional video surveillance showed the airplane on a final approach to runway 24. Starting at 1102:57, the start of a level right turn was captured with the airplane deviating to the right of the runway centerline to the right. At 1103:57, the bank angle suddenly increased followed by a drop of the nose with the airplane entering a descending right spiral. At 1103:05, the airplane disappeared behind a treeline in a nose low inverted right bank. A pilot-rated witness stated that everything seemed normal and that he could hear the engine operating normally with an increase in engine noise when the airplane was in the descending spiral. The airplane came to rest in an equipment storage lot about 0.13 nautical miles from the threshold of runway 24. The airframe was found on its right side with the right wing
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
