- Date
- September 8, 1985, 09:08 local (16:08 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N14GJJonas Humming Bird
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850908043499A
- Case key
- 24533
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The experimental homebuilt acft was designed by the plt and incorporated a lifting body symetrical airfoil shaped fuselage. Pitch control was to be accomplished with a narrow chord canard. Witnesses saw the acft lift off briefly to about 10 ft AGL during the fourth high speed taxi run, then settle back onto the rwy for a short time. The acft lifted off again and pitched 'abruptly up', flipped over onto its back and slide down the rwy backwards. The acft records disclosed that about one year prior to the accident, the plt experienced a similar incident; however, the acft did not pitch up past the vertical.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14GJ
- Reported as
- Jonas Humming Bird (HUMMING BI)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1-82
- Airframe hours
- 50
- Engine
- Revmaster 2100D, 78 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gerald L. Jonas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 24, 1985 · 8 hours before
- Airport
- RYN · Ryan Field, runway 6, 5,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 50 in this make and model · 240 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.