{"id":"939bbbbf-7e87-4aa7-82a3-30d54f75300c","slug":"mightfly-cento-crash-castle-airport-2026-03","kind":"malfunction","headline":"MightyFly MF-100 Cento prototype destroyed in crash during autonomous test flight at Castle Airport","summary":"A MightyFly MF-100 eVTOL aircraft (registration N258MF, msn 0003) crashed during an autonomous test flight at Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California on March 2, 2026. Wind caused the aircraft to descend and crash into the ground, followed by a post-crash fire. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB opened investigation WPR26LA115. No injuries occurred as the aircraft was uncrewed.","occurredAt":"2026-03-02T22:56:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"unreviewed","modelId":"934ea3f2-b31f-4a59-8482-3cfd0b7b7bc5","deploymentId":null,"companyId":"d2c6c5e4-917d-485f-8905-02dc531228ba","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"serious","rootCauseCategory":"environmental_conditions","rootCauseDetail":"Wind caused the autonomous eVTOL to descend and crash during a test flight.","affectedUnitsCount":1,"affectedUnitsBasis":"exact","remediationStatus":"in_progress","regulatoryAction":"investigation","regulatoryBody":"NTSB","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:29.805Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:29.805Z","model":{"id":"934ea3f2-b31f-4a59-8482-3cfd0b7b7bc5","companyId":"d2c6c5e4-917d-485f-8905-02dc531228ba","modelName":"Cento","slug":"cento","description":"Hybrid-electric autonomous eVTOL cargo aircraft with 100-500 lb payload, 600-1,000 mile range, and 150 mph cruise speed. Features autonomous package loading/unloading and multi-stop routing. Third-generation prototype conducting test flights under FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate.","formFactor":"aerial","industryVertical":null,"environment":null,"maturityStage":"prototype","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"unreviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2026-02-25/mightyfly-raises-10-million-autonomous-hybrid-evtol-freighter","label":"MightyFly Raises 10 Million for Autonomous Hybrid eVTOL Freighter","title":"MightyFly Raises 10 Million for Autonomous Hybrid eVTOL Freighter","mediaType":"article","sourceName":"AIN Online"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":["Payload=100-500 lbs","Range=600-1,000 miles","Cruise speed=150 mph","Power=Hybrid-electric eVTOL","Generation=3rd-gen prototype (Jan 2024)"],"createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:09:36.475Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-26T09:13:47.293Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"d2c6c5e4-917d-485f-8905-02dc531228ba","name":"MightyFly","slug":"mightfly","description":"Autonomous air logistics company building hybrid-electric [eVTOL](/models/cento) cargo aircraft for expedited B2B and defense deliveries. The Cento aircraft carries 100–500 pounds of cargo up to 600–1,000 miles at 150 mph, with autonomous loading and unloading. MightyFly holds a Special Airworthiness Certificate and FAA-approved flight corridors in California.","status":null,"founded":2019,"hq":"San Leandro, California, United States","hqLat":null,"hqLng":null,"hqGeocodedAt":null,"hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"mightyfly.com","fundingTotal":"15000000","type":"hardware","roles":["robot_maker"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[],"keyFacts":["CEO=Manal Habib","Total funding=15M USD (company-reported)","Signed contracts=220M USD LOI (20-year intra-island delivery) + 50M USD healthcare contract (5-year)","FAA approval=Special Airworthiness Certificate; first large autonomous eVTOL cargo drone approved for a flight corridor","Aircraft built=3 full-scale prototypes, 400+ autonomous flights","Hero image candidate=https://mightyfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-Cento-and-packages-1080x675.jpg (source: press kit)"],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-26T08:45:34.571Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-26T09:14:05.043Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"3edf549a-cc81-44dd-b951-a05b317632bd","incidentId":"939bbbbf-7e87-4aa7-82a3-30d54f75300c","url":"https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202591/pdf","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"NTSB Preliminary Report WPR26LA115","sourceName":"NTSB","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:30.608Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:30.608Z"},{"id":"20b364a6-1cea-4cdd-91af-268d175edeea","incidentId":"939bbbbf-7e87-4aa7-82a3-30d54f75300c","url":"https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/567592","label":null,"publishedAt":"2026-03-04T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":"Accident MightyFly MF-100 N258MF, Monday 2 March 2026","sourceName":"Aviation Safety Network","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:30.211Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:30.211Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/mightfly-cento-crash-castle-airport-2026-03","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/mightfly-cento-crash-castle-airport-2026-03","headline":"MightyFly MF-100 Cento prototype destroyed in crash during autonomous test flight at Castle Airport","description":"A MightyFly MF-100 eVTOL aircraft (registration N258MF, msn 0003) crashed during an autonomous test flight at Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California on March 2, 2026. Wind caused the aircraft to descend and crash into the ground, followed by a post-crash fire. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB opened investigation WPR26LA115. No injuries occurred as the aircraft was uncrewed.","identifier":"939bbbbf-7e87-4aa7-82a3-30d54f75300c","datePublished":"2026-03-02T22:56:00.000Z","articleSection":"malfunction","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"unreviewed","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":["primary-government-record"]}}}