Quicksilver GT-500 accident near Cleveland, Georgia, May 24, 2004
On May 24, 2004 at about 7:54 pm local time, a Quicksilver GT-500, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N5XY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cleveland, Georgia (Mountain Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control and his inadequate compensation for wind during takeoff. A factor was crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2004 · about 7:54 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Georgia · Mountain Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver GT-500, amateur-built · all GT-500s on the register
- Registration
- N5XY · no longer on the register · serial 357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, there was a "significant crosswind" at the time of landing. The student pilot stated that he cannot recall any other events prior to or during the accident. The owner of the property where the airplane came to rest stated that on the afternoon of the accident, the winds were gusting from a westerly direction. Witnesses stated that the airplane was landing toward the south, when the airplane bounced on the runway, and the pilot attempted to take-off. As the pilot maneuvered for the climb out, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway, collided with 20-foot tall trees 20 feet from the edge of the runway, where it was lodged in a level attitude approximately 12 feet above the ground. The wreckage site was approximately mid-field (1400 feet down the runway), 20 feet left of the runway surface. A post-accident examination of the airplane was unable to be performed. Witnesses stated that the tail assembly was separated from the fuselage and both wings were crushed aft.. The Quicksilver GT-500 is a sport category, experimental aircraft. It has a reported take-off distance of 220 feet and landing distance of 260 feet.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 4 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GA27 Cumming GA
- Destination: 0GE5 Cleveland GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway n/s, 2,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from KGVL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N5XY the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.