History of Flight
On September 1, 2018, about 1720 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built JETEZ airplane, N815EY, was destroyed after an in-flight breakup and subsequent impact with terrain near Covington Municipal Airport (M04), Covington, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.
According to a witness who routinely observed the accident airplane's flights and was familiar with its design, the purpose of the flight was for the accident airplane and another canard jet airplane based at M04 to fly together. The witness reported that the accident airplane departed runway 19 before the other airplane, climbed to about 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), and started a 270° descending right turn. The airplane crossed over the middle of M04 at about 200 ft agl at an estimated speed of 200 to 210 knots in a level pitch and bank attitude. Shortly after crossing the runway, the witness observed the left wing and winglet "oscillate" about five times, and then the left wing "exploded." Pieces of the airplane fell, the airplane abruptly pitched up about 90°, the right wing separated from the fuselage, and the airplane descended into a cotton field. The engine "sounded fine" throughout the flight. The witness later estimated the airplane was traveling "at least 200 knots, it could have been 230 knots" just before the left wing failure.
Another witness, an airline transport pilot, observed the accident airplane cross over the airport at about 200 ft agl. The engine sounded as if it "was not at idle" and "had power." This witness observed a "gentle pull-up" followed by a "wave like movement" or "wiggle" in the left wing, and then the "left wing failed at mid-span." Subsequently, the airplane pitched up "violently," the right wing "snapped off" in one piece, and several additional pieces departed as it "tumbled down to the left" and impacted terrain. Fire and smoke were observed.
Personnel Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with airplane multiengine land rating and a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and lighter-than-air balloon ratings. He also held a flight instructor certificate for airplane single- and multiengine land; type ratings for the Airbus A320, Jetstream BA-3100, Embraer EMB-120, and Saab SF-340; and a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate for the accident airplane as well as the DR-107 experimental amateur-built airplane.
The pilot was issued an FAA first-class medical certificate dated March 22, 2018, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses. At that time, he reported 22,000 hours of total flight experience, including 5 hours during the preceding 6 months. The pilot's logbooks were not recovered.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA airworthiness records and publicly available information, the airplane was a two-seat, original-design, canard-style airplane manufactured by the pilot. It was powered by a modified GE-T58-8B turbine engine, originally designed for a military helicopter. The airplane received a special airworthiness certificate on June 30, 2014. A witness familiar with its operation reported it had accumulated about 100 total hours of operation. Maintenance and builder records were not located. Extensive online content described how the pilot designed, manufactured, and operated the airplane.
In May 2018, KITPLANES magazine published an article authored by the pilot titled "JET EZE, Turning a Dream into Reality, Part 1 and 2." The article stated the airplane was designed and manufactured over 13 years, with 11 years of active building. It had blended composite winglets with a C-channel wing spar extended to the tip. Five-foot peel ply was used in the composite layup of the winglets. The canard was a "stock GU" design, and each wing contained two inner fuel pods and two outer baggage pods.
In February 2018, the pilot described the design, manufacture, and operation in a narrated webinar titled "So, You Want to Build a Jet?" hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association. During the webinar, the pilot reported the airplane had a Vne (never exceed airspeed) of 250 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), or 310 knots true airspeed. He stated, "Have I been past that? Yeah, it was exciting, and I won't tell you how far I went past it." He explained the airplane was "airframe limited" because the jet engine could propel the wings faster to loads they could not tolerate. He also reported the first flight was in 2017, though the airworthiness certificate was issued in June 2014.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions reported at M04 at 1715 included visibility of 10 statute miles, few clouds at 5,000 and 5,500 ft agl, wind from 130° at 6 knots, temperature 31°C, and dew point 23°C.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The fuselage came to rest inverted in a flat cotton field about 0.5 nautical mile northeast of M04, oriented on a magnetic heading of 065°. Extensive impact damage and evidence of a postimpact fire were observed. All major components were accounted for along the debris path. Fragments of the outboard left wing and winglet were found about 1,000 ft from the fuselage; outboard right wing and winglet fragments were about 870 ft from the fuselage. Flight control continuity could not be established due to separated control surfaces and destruction of the cockpit section by postcrash fire. Fragments of the canard were separated from the fuselage. The engine had separated from its mounts and was found with the fuselage; no foreign object debris damage was observed, and the inlet variable guide vanes were intact with rotational scoring.
Portions of the left wing upper skin plies showed evidence of fiber material transfer from the lower skin. The left wing upper spar cap and upper skin had a glossy appearance with no apparent fiber transfer. The left winglet skin panels showed evidence of fiber material transfer between the skin and spar caps. Examination by the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed that the upper wing surfaces and upper spar cap had areas consistent with a resin-starved or dry laminate, and adhesive disbond between faying surfaces, consistent with a lack of impregnation and interfacial interaction of resin into glass fiber fabric. These issues were consistent with a fabrication problem during manufacturing, not wear or environmental degradation.
Additional Information
About 2 months after the accident airplane's first flight in 2017, a flutter event occurred with the left wing. The witness (owner and operator of Jet Guys) stated he saw a video of the event showing the left winglet moving forward and aft about 4 inches at about one revolution per second. He thought the airspeed during the flutter was 232 KIAS. He was unaware of any structural repairs or modifications after that event.
An autopsy determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing identified salicylate, acetaminophen, amlodipine, and timolol in urine; amlodipine in cavity blood. None were considered impairing. No carbon monoxide or ethanol were found.