Quad City Ultralight Aircraft CHALLENGER II accident near Savannah, Georgia, May 3, 1998
On May 3, 1998 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Quad City Ultralight Aircraft CHALLENGER II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Savannah, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
In flight collision with terrain for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1998 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City Ultralight Aircraft CHALLENGER II CHALLENGER, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 0308
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with the ground near the Savannah River. According to the FAA, there were no witnesses to the accident. The previous owner stated that the pilot had just purchased the airplane that week and was taking it for a test flight. The pilot had no previous experience with this type of airplane. The pilot departed the area and was not heard from again. The pilot's medical certificate was not current at the time of the accident and the pilot's logbook was not recovered. His last reported flight time on his medical certificate was 2400 total civilian hours. Examination of the airplane by the FAA found it destroyed and the aircraft logbooks were not recovered.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Hinesville GA at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from SAV, 20 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 UNREG 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.