Joey Covington Dead -- Jefferson Airplane Drummer Dies in Car Accident

Joey Covington -- who played drums for the psychedelic 1960s band Jefferson Airplane -- was killed in Palm Springs Tuesday in a deadly car accident. He was 67.

According to the Desert Sun, Covington was driving alone around 5pm when his Honda Civic left the road and crashed head-on into a retaining wall. The Riverside County coroner's report says Covington was not wearing a seat belt at the time. No other car was involved.

Covington's vehicle reportedly hit the wall with such force ... it went flying onto an elevated driveway several feet above the crash site, where a nearby motel guest tried to resuscitate the musician.

The bystander was unsuccessful and Covington died at the scene. Police don’t believe alcohol or drugs were involved.

One of Covington's close friends told the Desert Sun, the drummer's wife believes a heart attack or stroke caused him to drive off the road.