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A Vietnam War-era T-28B aircraft crashed into a soybean field in Iowa on Monday near the Monticello Regional Airport (MXO).
According to local news and ASN, James (Jim) Rohlf reported engine trouble shortly after departing the airport and was returning when his aircraft went down. Rohlf was the only occupant in the aircraft and died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Rohlf was a member of Trojan Thunder, a team of pilots that perform airshows featuring T-28 warbirds. Rohlf recently performed with Trojan Thunder at AirVenture 2025 last month.
Paul Walter, Rohlf's friend and fellow pilot, told local news that he had flown with him for over 20 years and that he was shocked when he learned Rohlf had died.
"It's hard to understand because he was a very experienced, safe aviator. He not only knew how to fly, but he also knew the aircraft. He helped restore them," he said. "So I'm interested in what the National Transportation Safety Board says."Additionally, Rohlf was a pilot instructor and founded the Aviation Heritage Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on restoring, demonstrating and displaying aircraft of historical significance. He reportedly owned four historical aircraft, including a Douglas AD-4N Skyraider and the T-28B."Several years ago, I lost a generator at Oshkosh, WI and Jim says, ‘No problem, I'll fly back to Iowa even though it's 700 miles, pick up a spare I have, bring it back,'" Walter said. "He brought all the tools, and we got it flying that afternoon. That was the type of guy he was,"Rohlf served on the airport board for the communities of Tipton and Monticello and regularly attended formation clinics with the North American Trainer Association. As a pilot, he accumulated over 12,000 flight hours and was the recipient of the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award.
RELATED STORY: Pilot Anh-Thu Nguyen dies in plane crash at start of global solo flightA memorial service will be held on Friday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. at First United Church of Christ in Tipton with Rev. Kerri Sandusky officiating. Visitation is one hour prior at the church, and there will be time for fellowship following the service during the meal provided by the family. His full obituary can be found here.Edit: An earlier version of this story reported that Trojan Thunder is part of the T-28 Trojan Foundation. They are separate organizations.