History of Flight
On May 23, 2021, about 1447 central daylight time, a Sub-Sonex JSX-2 experimental jet airplane, N465JC, was destroyed when it impacted Cross Lake near Shreveport, Louisiana. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The intent of the flight was to fly over Cross Lake after departing Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV). ADS-B track data indicated the airplane departed runway 24 at SHV about 1439:00. It made a right turn to the northeast and proceeded to fly over Cross Lake. The ADS-B track data showed the airplane maneuvering low-level over the lake until track data was lost at 1446:14. At the last track data point, the airplane was over Cross Lake at an altitude of 625 ft MSL, 142 kts ground speed, and on a 100° heading. An onboard Garmin GDU 460 cockpit display recorded 13 minutes and 9 seconds of flight. At the last recorded point at 1446:20, the airplane was about 400 ft AGL, 170 knots indicated airspeed, and heading 100°. Before data loss, the airplane pitch showed an abrupt pitch up to 15°. A witness reported seeing the airplane fly low across the lake at about 200 ft AGL. He saw the airplane roll to the right until inverted and then abruptly nosed down and impacted the water in a near vertical attitude. The witness was asked if it was a “little red jet” that crashed, and he confirmed. He was also told by another person that the airplane had been seen performing a barrel roll over the lake the previous Sunday.
Personnel Information
The pilot held type ratings in the CE-500, EA-500S, IA-Jet, LR-60 (SIC only), LR-Jet, and MS-760. He was authorized to fly the AV-L39 and the Sub-Sonex experimental aircraft VFR only.
Aircraft Information
The pilot/owner acquired the airplane on July 17, 2020. No mechanical discrepancies were noted in the maintenance logbook. According to airframe logbook entries, the airplane completed its Phase One flight testing for airworthiness for standard flights on July 10, 2017. No entries were found after Phase Two for flight testing to perform aerobatic maneuvers. The airplane was equipped with a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS). Upon recovery, the BRS system appeared to have been activated and deployed upon impact.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane's wreckage was located submerged in a shallow recreational lake. The cabin and cockpit sections were broken open. The right wing was crushed aft along the entire span of the spar. The left wing was separated at the fuselage and folded rearward and buckled. The empennage was buckled forward. The right ruddervator showed impact crush damage to its leading edge; the left ruddervator had minimal impact damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The engine was separated from the fuselage at the pylon base. Witness marks on the ring cowling corresponded to similar marks on the top fuselage. The engine was rotated by hand and drive continuity was established from the compressor rearward to the exhaust. The inlet compressor blades did not show deformation or binding during rotation. The engine control unit was recovered and downloaded and showed that the engine functioned normally up to the time of the accident. The BRS cockpit deployment lever was found in the stowed position.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries due to an airplane crash, and the manner of death was an accident. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed toxicology testing. Sertraline (31 ng/mL) and its metabolite desmethylsertaline (53 ng/mL) were detected in cardiac blood, and both were also detected in urine. Bupropion (18 ng/mL) and its metabolite hydroxybupropion (128 ng/mL) were detected in cardiac blood and urine. Quetiapine was detected in cardiac blood and urine. Gabapentin (719 ng/mL) was detected in cardiac blood and urine. Pramipexole was detected in urine but not in cardiac blood. Amlodipine was detected in cardiac blood and urine. Ethanol was not detected in cardiac blood.
Additional Information
Title 14 CFR Part 91, Subpart D, Paragraph 91.303 specifies restrictions on aerobatic flight, including that no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight over congested areas, open-air assemblies, within lateral boundaries of certain airspace, within 4 nautical miles of a Federal airway centerline, below 1,500 feet above the surface, or when flight visibility is less than 3 statute miles. Aerobatic flight is defined as an intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change in attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration not necessary for normal flight.