N465JCJohn M Corneal SUBSONEX · 2017

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 the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.

The intent of the flight was to fly over Cross Lake after departing the Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV). Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) track data indicated the airplane departed runway 24 at SHV, about 1439:00. The airplane made a right turn to the northeast and proceeded to fly over Cross Lake. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Overall flight track.

Figure 2. Flight path over Cross Lake and the accident location.

The ADS-B track data showed the airplane maneuver low-level over the lake until track data was lost at 1446:14. (Figure 2) At the last track data point, the airplane was over Cross Lake at an altitude of 625 ft above mean sea level, 142 kts ground speed, and on a 100o heading.

An onboard Garmin GDU 460 cockpit display recorded 13 minutes and 9 seconds of the airplane’s flight. At the last recorded point at 1446:20, the airplane was about 400 ft above ground level (agl), 170 knots indicated airspeed, and heading 100o. Before the data was lost, the airplane pitch showed an abrupt pitch up to 15°.

A witness reported that he and several other people were on a pier and saw the airplane fly low across the lake at about 200 ft agl. The witness reported that just before the accident he saw the airplane roll to the right until it was inverted and then it abruptly nosed down and impacted the water in a near vertical attitude. One person asked the witness if it was a “little red jet” that had crashed, and the witness said that it was. The person then told the witness that he and his wife had been on the lake the previous Sunday and saw the airplane performing a barrel roll over the lake.

The pilot held type ratings in the CE-500, EA-500S, IA-Jet, LR-60 (Second-in-Command only), LR-Jet, and MS-760. He was authorized to fly the AV-L39 and the Sub-Sonex experimental aircraft VFR only.

The pilot/owner acquired the airplane on July 17, 2020. No mechanical discrepancies were noted in the maintenance logbook. According to entries in the airframe logbook, 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 aerobatics 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

The pilot/owner acquired the airplane on July 17, 2020. No mechanical discrepancies were noted in the maintenance logbook. According to entries in the airframe logbook, 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 aerobatics 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

The airplane's wreckage was located submerged in a shallow recreational lake. The airplane’s 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 was 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 airplane’s 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 any deformation and showed no 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.

Title 14 CFR Part 91, General Operating and Flight Rules, Subpart D Special Flight Operations, Paragraph 91.303 Aerobatic flight states:

No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight—

(a) Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement;

(b) Over an open air assembly of persons;

(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport;

(d) Within 4 nautical miles of the center line of any Federal airway;

(e) Below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface; or

(f) When flight visibility is less than 3 statute miles.

For the purposes of this section, aerobatic flight means an intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change in an aircraft's attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration, not necessary for normal flight.

An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Pathology, Shreveport, Louisiana. The cause of death was determined as blunt force injuries due to an airplane crash and the manner of death was an accident.

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Branch, Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology testing of postmortem specimens from the pilot. Sertraline was detected at 31 ng/mL and its metabolite desmethylsertaline was detected at 53 ng/mL in cardiac blood. Both sertraline and desmethylsertaline were also detected in urine. Bupropion was detected at 18 ng/mL and its metabolite hydroxybupropion was detected at 128 ng/mL in cardiac blood. Both bupropion and hydroxybupropion were also detected in urine. Quetiapine was detected in cardiac blood and urine. Gabapentin was detected at 719 ng/ml in cardiac blood and was also detected in 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.