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:
- An experimental JD-2 Dyke Delta aircraft crashed, killing the pilot, with the NTSB citing "improper planning/decision by the owner/builder (pilot)" leading to an inability to recover from a stall/mush condition.
- The pilot made numerous unapproved modifications to the aircraft, including installing a heavier engine and propeller, adding ballast, and incorporating custom trailing edge tabs and a T-tail to address perceived nose-heaviness and unusual handling.
- These alterations likely compromised the aerodynamic stability of the sensitive tailless design, potentially causing an uncontrollable roll during a stall and contributing to the high-speed, high-G impact.
- The accident underscores the dangers of significantly deviating from proven designs in experimental aircraft, as unapproved modifications, especially those affecting aerodynamics, can have fatal consequences.
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