{"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":"reviewed","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":"aerial","latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:11:29.805Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T19:14:51.725Z","model":{"id":"934ea3f2-b31f-4a59-8482-3cfd0b7b7bc5","companyId":"d2c6c5e4-917d-485f-8905-02dc531228ba","modelName":"Cento","slug":"cento","description":"The [Cento](/models/cento) is a hybrid-electric autonomous eVTOL cargo aircraft developed by [MightyFly](/companies/mightfly), designed to carry 100 lb (45 kg) of cargo up to 600 miles (966 km) at a cruise speed of 150 mph (240 km/h). The third-generation aircraft features a tandem-wing design with eight VTOL propellers and a single pusher propeller, a composite structure weighing 396 lb empty (550 lb MTOW), and a proprietary Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) that autonomously opens/closes the cargo bay, receives and ejects packages, and computes weight and balance. The aircraft was unveiled in January 2024 and received a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA for long-range flight. A Cento prototype (N258MF) was destroyed in a crash during an autonomous test flight at Castle Airport, Atwater, CA on 2 March 2026, with the NTSB opening a preliminary investigation.","formFactor":"aerial","industryVertical":null,"environment":null,"maturityStage":"research","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"walk_speed_ms":"67.1"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://mightyfly.com/press-release/mightyfly-unveils-its-third-generation-aircraft-to-unlock-unprecedented-efficiencies-for-same-day-deliveries/","title":"MightyFly Unveils its Third Generation Aircraft","sourceName":"MightyFly (official)"},{"url":"https://evtol.news/news/mightyfly-unveils-next-gen-cargo-drone","title":"MightyFly Unveils Next-Gen Cargo Drone","sourceName":"eVTOL News (Vertical Flight Society)"},{"url":"https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/567592","title":"Accident MightyFly MF-100 N258MF, 2 March 2026","sourceName":"Aviation Safety Network"},{"url":"https://mightyfly.com/press-release/cento/","date":"2023-01-24","title":"MightyFly unveils the Cento","sourceName":"MightyFly"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Third generation (company-stated, Jan 2024)","value":"Unveiled on 26 January 2024 in San Leandro, California: an autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft designed to carry 100 pounds for 600 miles."},{"label":"Second generation (company-stated, Jan 2023)","value":"Previously called the MF-100: carries 100 lb, flies 600 miles, reaches 150 mph, weighs 355 lb fully loaded and measures 13.1 by 16.7 feet."},{"label":"FAA certificates (company-stated, Jan 2023)","value":"The FAA granted a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorization for long-range flights."}],"createdAt":"2026-08-26T09:09:36.475Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-10T20:40:48.962Z","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":"private","founded":2019,"hq":"San Leandro, California, United States","hqLat":37.7249296,"hqLng":-122.1560768,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-10-10T04:22:48.859Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"mightyfly.com","fundingTotal":"15000000","type":"hardware","roles":["robot_maker"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","heatIndex":0,"lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://mightyfly.com/","title":"MightyFly | A Better Way to Deliver Goods","sourceName":"MightyFly"},{"url":"https://mightyfly.com/press-release/mightyfly-unveils-its-third-generation-aircraft-to-unlock-unprecedented-efficiencies-for-same-day-deliveries/","title":"MightyFly Unveils its Third Generation Aircraft","sourceName":"MightyFly"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Cento (company-stated)","value":"An autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft for point-to-point logistics."},{"label":"Third-generation aircraft (company-stated)","value":"Designed for same-day delivery missions, carrying 100 to 500 pounds over a 600-mile range."}],"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":"2026-10-10T23:44:44.684Z"},"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":"verified","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"]}}}