Fatal Plane Crash

How the Crash Unfolded Above Polk County

Robinson departed Bartow Executive Airport at around 7:30 PM in a Van's RV-3A, a single-seat experimental aircraft he built himself, according to WTSP. A friend flying a separate plane had taken off from Lakeland Linder International Airport minutes earlier. The two were meeting up for a planned formation flight.

At 7:54 PM, the friend called 911. He had watched Robinson's plane come apart and fall. Sheriff Grady Judd described what the surviving pilot saw: "He reported seeing a piece come off the low-wing aircraft just in time to watch the plane come apart and crash straight into the ground," FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported. Firefighters arrived five minutes later. Robinson was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:00 PM, according to Daily Ridge.

Family Asks Sheriff to Cancel Briefing and Withhold Video

Sheriff Judd had scheduled a follow-up public update for Tuesday. He canceled it out of respect for the Robinson family, FOX 35 Orlando reported. The family also made a direct request: do not release footage that the surviving pilot captured showing the moments before and during the crash.

Polk County authorities said the investigation is ongoing. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and are launching their own separate investigations, according to News-Press.

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Robinson Was a Standout Young Aviation Graduate

Robinson graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Sciences from Polk State College in 2024, according to Daily Ridge. He was 23 years old and lived in Lakeland. People who knew him described him as a highly skilled pilot for his age.

Experimental Aircraft Have a Documented History of Structural Risk

The Van's RV-3A is classified as an "experimental amateur-built" plane, meaning a hobbyist builds most of it at home. Van's Aircraft has previously issued safety bulletins for the RV-3 and RV-3A series about wing spar modifications needed for safe aerobatic flight. At least eight fatal accidents involving RV-3 wing separations have been recorded in the U.S. since 1980, according to NTSB records.

Experimental aircraft make up about 10% of the general aviation fleet but account for roughly 21% of fatal general aviation accidents, NTSB data shows. The NTSB investigation will focus on where and why the aircraft separated. If a design flaw is confirmed, it could trigger mandatory inspection orders for the estimated 33,000 amateur-built planes currently flying in the U.S.