Airplane Impacted In A Right Wing Low Near Vertical Attitude

Location: Kodiak, AK Accident Number: ANC22FA005
Date & Time: November 7, 2021, 14:05 Local Registration: N540AK
Aircraft: Gerald Jones 2+2 Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On November 07, 2021, about 1405 Alaska standard time, a Gerald Jones 2+2 homebuilt airplane, N540AK sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Kodiak, Alaska. The pilot and sole occupant was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot had 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 made a steep right turn, the nose dropped, and the airplane entered a spiraling descent in a near vertical attitude. None of the witnesses reported any unusual sounds emanating from the engine. The airplane impacted a hard gravel road at an elevation of about 92 ft. A video surveillance camera captured the impact sequence and showed the airplane impacted in a right wing low near vertical attitude. The airplane came to rest about 25 feet from the initial impact site in a heavily forested area and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage.

A Garmin GPS and an Electronics International MVP-50 engine monitor were recovered from the airplane and sent to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory for examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov