NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Rob Holland, a famed aerobatic pilot who wowed airshow crowds and championship judges with tight spirals, meticulous loops and inventive sequences in the sky, has died in a plane crash. He was 50.

Holland died Thursday while landing his custom-built, single-seat aircraft at Joint-Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, in preparation for an upcoming airshow at the military installation.

The plane was making a normal landing and was not conducting aerobatic maneuvers, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Dan Boggs said at a Friday news conference. The crash remains under investigation.

Holland’s death was confirmed by his official Facebook page, Rob Holland Aerosports, and by Jim Bourke, president of the International Aerobatic Club, for which Holland served as vice president.

Holland was probably the best-known airshow pilot and the winningest competitor in aerobatic contests, Bourke said. The airborne competitions could be compared to figure skating for the required grace, precision and discipline, but with punishing gravitational forces.

“I flew against him many times, and, like a lot of people, I couldn’t beat him,” said Bourke, who was Holland’s friend, rival and teammate on the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team. “They didn’t have anyone who could beat him. He was just that good.”