Accident Eipper Quicksilver MXL UNREG,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 294816
 
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Date:Friday 18 June 2004
Time:10:00 LT
Type:Eipper Quicksilver MXL
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: UNREG
MSN:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Mountain Home, Idaho -   United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Mountain Home, ID
Destination airport:Fairfield, ID
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Prior to the accident, the pilot landed at a road-side truck stop to take on automobile fuel for the operation of his unregistered two-place ultralight-like aircraft. Records show that he refueled at 0910, and witnesses said that he took off from a road beside the truck stop about 0930. After takeoff, the pilot flew past a private airstrip about a mile from the truck stop, and then headed in the direction of his destination, where a gathering of ultralight-like aircraft was taking place. About 30 minutes later, an individual on the ground came upon the wreckage of the aircraft near some hilly terrain. There were no witnesses to the impact, and there was no fire. The entire aircraft structure was located together, and there were no ground scars indicating any movement across the terrain after the initial impact. An examination of the aircraft structure did not find any indication of an in-flight structural failure, nor any evidence of an engine malfunction. It was determined however that the wing washout angle had been changed by the pilot so that the aircraft would cruise at a faster speed. It was also determined that since the pilot had made the washout angle change, and added a large windshield to the airframe, the aircraft's cruise speed was only about 10 knots greater than its stall speed. The investigation also revealed that there had been very strong gusty winds (to 20 knots) and turbulence in the area the pilot was flying through. It was the opinion of the FAA Inspector who responded to the scene that the pilot had lost control of the aircraft while trying to continue his flight in the windy/gusty conditions.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during an undetermined in-flight operational phase resulting in an uncontrolled descent into the terrain. Factors include strong gusty winds in the area of the accident.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: SEA04LA110
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB SEA04LA110

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
12-Oct-2022 09:26 ASN Update Bot Added

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