# Accident 20260302001769A: Mightyfly Inc MF-100, Atwater, CA, March 2, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 2, 2026, 13:57 local time
- Place: Atwater, CA
- Airport: Castle
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.3805° N, 120.5682° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3805&lon=-120.5682&mi=10
- Aircraft: N258MF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N258MF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mightyfly MF-100 (registry code 0610195, https://openairdocs.org/model/mightyfly-mf-100) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MIGHTYFLY INC MF-100
- Reported engine: AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR26LA115](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA115) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260302001769A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MARCH 2, 2026, AT APPROXIMATELY 13:57 PDT, THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT (UAS) WAS CONDUCTING AN AUTONOMOUS EARLY-PHASE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TEST FLIGHT AT CASTLE AIRPORT (MER) IN ATWATER, CALIFORNIA.

APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF, DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND THAT INITIATED LONGITUDINAL OSCILLATIONS. THE OSCILLATORY BEHAVIOR DEMONSTRATED CHARACTERISTICS CONSISTENT WITH NEGATIVE DYNAMIC STABILITY. DESPITE AUTONOMOUS CONTROL INPUTS, THE OSCILLATIONS PROGRESSIVELY INCREASED IN AMPLITUDE.

THE INCREASING PITCH EXCURSIONS RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT REACHING A NEAR-VERTICAL NOSE-UP ATTITUDE, WHICH LED TO AN AERODYNAMIC STALL. THE STALL PROGRESSED INTO A RIGHT-HAND SPIN WHILE THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED IN AN UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT PATH.

THE UAS IMPACTED THE GROUND ON THE NORTH EDGE OF TAXIWAY ALPHA, JUST NORTHWEST OF THE TAXIWAY DELTA INTERSECTION. THE IMPACT RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND A POST-IMPACT FIRE THAT CONSUMED APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF THE WRECKAGE.

THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE REMOTE PILOT, SUPPORT PERSONNEL, OR BYSTANDERS. NO GROUND PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR26LA115](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA115), Mar 2, 2026: Mightyfly MF-100 (N258MF), Atwater, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: A control system anomaly, which resulted in the overload and failure of one of the propulsion motor systems during the transition from hover to forward flight.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.