CEN26FA253 · Montana COYOTE

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 separated at the wing root. The left wing was partially separated at the forward spar. A small depression was located under the forward fuselage that contained fragments of the composite propeller and cowl. Flight control continuity was established for the elevator, rudder, and right aileron from the control surfaces to their respective cockpit controls. However, the left aileron torque tube was found separated from the fuselage bellcrank with no bending or witness marks observed on the tube or bellcrank attachment housing. The right aileron torque tube remained secure in the bellcrank attachment housing. The torque tube was attached to the housing using four equally spaced rivets around the circumference of the tube. The engine crankshaft was unable to be rotated by hand due to damage of the forward engine case. The magnetos were removed and rotated with a drill with spark observed on all leads. The fuel system was found compromised in numerous locations. Fuel was only observed in the fuel selector. The airplane’s Dynon SV-HDX1100 and both aileron torque tube and bellcrank assemblies were retained for further examination.

Verbatim NTSB factual narrative from the NTSB dataset