A 66-year-old man was killed in a gyrocopter crash at Beverly Airport late Sunday morning, according to the Essex district attorney’s office.
He was not immediately identified. He was the pilot and sole person on board the small aircraft that crashed at 11:41 a.m. , according to Beverly police and the district attorney’s office.
Airport officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency will send an inspector to the crash scene to investigate.
“An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene,” Jennifer Gabris, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an e-mail Sunday. “He is expected to be on scene [Monday] morning.”
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A gyrocopter is classified as an ultra-light aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. The small aircraft uses a propeller engine to harness wind to power its fast-spinning propeller, according to the FAA.
A spokesman for the FAA said Sunday evening that the crash occurred while the pilot was taking off. The agency is investigating, he said.
The NTSB investigator will document the scene and examine the aircraft, Gabris said. He will also request radar data, weather information, maintenance records, and the pilot’s medical records.
“NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation,” Gabris said.
A preliminary report is expected to publish 15 days after the accident, Gabris said.
No further information was available Sunday evening.
Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.