I would have thought that anybody looking at a BD5 could understand that it's not going to be a Cherokee to fly, and that you wouldn't want to crash in the thing. Most of the pilot reports I've seen say it is actually milder than it looks.
I got a close look at it at Oshkosh last year. I also saw it displayed twice, by a very competent pilot. I thought it looked extremely 'experimental", and I remember thinking that it was like a jet powered Gee Bee. Obviously it would appear that it has the same track record, and a handful.
Sad for this pilot, but he obviously new the risks with it, and knew that if it went pear shaped, not a lot of recovery room, nor protection.
A few years back at Oshkosh, I spent a lot of time talking with a pilot who had built the most beautiful looking Ryan. Fully polished metal, lovingly built. He said it was pig to fly. Looked great. He died on the way home, ploughing it into a field. He was aware of the risks......