Pilot And Builder Of The Aircraft Fatally Injured

The pilot of an experimental Jet Eze airplane was fatally injured Saturday when the airplane lost its left wing during a low pass over Covington Municipal Airport (M04) in Covington, TN.

The Covington Leader reports that the pilot and builder of the plane was Kissimmee, FL resident Lance Hooley. He had been working with a team in Covington to construct the plane, which took some 13 years, according to the report. The plane went down in a cotton field about 2,000 yards east of the airport after the left wing separated from the fuselage. There was a post-impact fire.

The flight had originated at M04, according to NTSB Investigator in Charge Adam Gerhardt. "The core reason for our investigation is to determine what happened but, more importantly, why the accident happened for safety purposes and to issue safety recommendations to aviation industry to prevent future accidents," Gerhardt told reporters.

"The airplane was a turbine, or jet-powered, experimental home build design. It was a canard airplane, which is an airplane where they move the elevator that controls the front of the aircraft and it's a design that numerous airplanes have. This airplane was a unique airplane that will, obviously, be the subject of our investigation," he said.

Hooley was a pilot for JetBlue. He had started learning to fly at age 14. He soloed on his 16th birthday in 1976. He spent four years in the Air Force and built several airplanes from kits before going to work on the Jet Eze. He had originally planned to build a Long Eze, but Covington resident Robert Harris, the founder and owner of Jet Guys whom Hooley considered a mentor, gave him the idea to convert the Long Eze into a jet.

 Hooley unveiled the plane at Sun 'n Fun in 2017. He has an award for Best Owner Design in the Homebuilt Category.

(Image from Facebook)

FMI: Source report