Gmk Ventures LLC AL18 accident near Moab, Utah, June 27, 2022
On June 27, 2022 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 2020 Gmk Ventures LLC AL18, registered N17GK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Moab, Utah (Canyonlands Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a landing attempt, which resulted in a ground loop and collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the absence of an airspeed indicator due to an alternator failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2022 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moab, Utah · Canyonlands Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gmk Ventures LLC AL18, built 2020
- Registration
- N17GK · registry record · serial AL-331
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, he experienced an alternator failure approximately 47 minutes from his destination airport. He switched to a backup battery, but within 2 minutes the entire electrical system shut down, which included a loss of his airspeed and altitude indicators. When he reached the airport, he intentionally flew fast to provide a buffer against stalling the airplane as he was in high density altitude conditions. While over the runway at about 5 ft above ground level, he overflew the runway at the same altitude to bleed off excess airspeed. As the airplane decelerated the pilot was unable to determine when the airplane would touchdown due to the loss of his airspeed indicator. According to the pilot, the right main landing gear touched down first followed by the left main landing gear, at which point the airplane began to ground loop. The left elevator impacted a runway light, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot report no other preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Alternator › generator drive sys › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Navigation system › Airspeed/mach indicating › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 603 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 532 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 310 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 2021; 29.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IOX370CLE1T8 (piston); 310 hours total
- Operator: Gmk Ventures LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TWF Twin Falls ID at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 7,361 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KCNY, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCNY 271953Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/08 A3024 RMK AO2 SLP181 T02940078
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR22LA233.