Lance M Hooley JETEZ accident near Covington, TN
On September 1, 2018, a Lance M Hooley JETEZ (airplane) was involved in an accident near Covington, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 1, 2018
- Place
- Covington, TN
- Aircraft
- Lance M Hooley JETEZ · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.586°N, 89.578°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180901X04008
Official records · ERA18FA240
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 1, 2018, about 1720 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built JETEZ airplane, N815EY, was destroyed after an in-flight breakup and a subsequent impact with terrain near Covington Municipal Airport (M04), Covington, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, 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 the airplane's 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 an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), and then started a 270° descending right turn. He also reported that the airplane crossed over the middle of M04 at an altitude of about 200 ft agl and an estimated speed of 200 to 210 knots and in a level pitch and bank attitude. He further reported that, shortly after the airplane crossed the runway, he observed the left wing and winglet "oscillate" about five times and that the left wing then "exploded." This witness subsequently observed pieces of the airplane falling, the airplane abruptly pitching up about 90°, the right wing separating from the fuselage, and the airplane descending into a cotton field. He reported that the airpl
Probable cause
The improper manufacture of the left wing, which resulted in a left wing flutter event and failure at low altitude and high speed.
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Browse: Tennessee
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
