Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB ERA09LA150
QUICKSILVER MXL II Sport — Ellenboro, NC
| Date | January 31, 2009 |
| Location | Ellenboro, NC |
| Aircraft | QUICKSILVER MXL II Sport (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 55 |
| Pilot total time | 500 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 1 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during climbout. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of experience in the make and model of the airplane.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot - F
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The pilot had just purchased the unregistered, uncertificated, experimental, amateur-built airplane. He began taxiing it around the airport, and then taxied to Runway 14. Shortly thereafter he departed, making a hard left bank turn. He flew between two airport hangars, struck a power line, and collided with the ground. The pilot’s wife stated that he had less than 1 hour of flight time in the accident airplane. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.