Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On November 07, 2021, about 1402 Alaska standard time, an experimental, amateur-built 2+2 airplane, N540AK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Kodiak, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot departed from Kodiak Municipal Airport (KDK), Kodiak, Alaska, destined for a remote off-airport landing site near Saltery Cove. A friend of the pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to transport hunting gear to the remote location to establish a hunting camp.
Numerous witnesses reported that, shortly after departure from KDK, the airplane entered a steep right turn, the nose dropped, and the airplane entered a spiraling descent in a near-vertical attitude.
The airplane impacted a gravel road at an elevation of about 92 ft mean sea level. A surveillance camera captured the impact sequence and showed the airplane impact in a right-wing-low, near-vertical attitude. The airplane came to rest about 25 ft from the initial impact site in a heavily wooded area and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and tail.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ANC22FA005