The 225-hour commercial pilot, 55, had built his JD-2 Dyke Delta in St. Louis and, after several test flights there, took it to Safford, Arizona. Originally intended as a roadable aircraft, the JD-2 had folding wings and sufficiently springy main gear and large tires to allow it to be towed behind a car. It made the 1,400-mile trip without incident.
Sometimes It’s Better Just to Follow the Instructions
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot died crashing his homebuilt JD-2 Dyke Delta, with the NTSB attributing the accident to his "improper planning/decision" leading to an unrecoverable stall/mush condition.
- The pilot had extensively modified the aircraft with a heavier engine and propeller, ballast, and unapproved trailing edge tabs and a T-tail, all of which caused severe nose-heaviness and altered its aerodynamic characteristics.
- The Dyke Delta is a unique tailless flying wing design highly sensitive to weight distribution and CG changes, highlighting the dangers of deviating from established plans in experimental aircraft construction.
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