Pilot Killed as Aircraft Crashes Near Shannon Airport in Virginia

A 78-year-old pilot was killed Tuesday after his single-engine Montana Coyote aircraft crashed into a John Deere dealership near Shannon Airport in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The aircraft, registered as N448VQ, struck a gravel lot containing farm equipment on Tidewater Trail, directly across from the airport, according to reports from NBC Washington, WTOP and WUSA9.

Authorities identified the pilot as Rowland Babcock Jr. of Ruther Glen, Virginia. The FAA confirmed Babcock was the sole occupant at the time of the accident. The crash site falls within the Fredericksburg area of Spotsylvania County.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a formal investigation and assigned the incident event ID 20260714203389. No probable cause has been determined. The Montana Coyote is a two-seat, kit-built aircraft designed for amateur home construction.