Australian-made experimental plane crashes at US base

An experimental aircraft made by an Australian-based company has crashed at a military base near the coast of Virginia.

The incident occurred on Thursday at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in the city of Hampton and is under investigation, US Air Force Airman Donnell Ramsey said. He was unable to provide information on possible injuries.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on X that it was "investigating the crash of an experimental MX Aircraft MXS near Hampton, Virginia". The post did not contain more information.

The MXS is a single-seat plane, according to the MX Aircraft website. The Australian company specialises in sport, aerobatic and race aircraft.

An air show is scheduled for the base on Saturday and Sunday. But it is unclear if the plane is involved in the event.

The base is composed of the Army's Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base, which sits near the southwestern edge of the Chesapeake Bay.

The installation is home to squadrons of F-22 Raptor fighter jets. One of them shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic in 2023.