Eipper QUICKSILVER MX accident near Elkton, Maryland, July 4, 1984
On July 4, 1984, a Eipper QUICKSILVER MX (ultralight), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elkton, Maryland (Raintree airport). It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1984
- Place
- Elkton, Maryland · Raintree
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eipper QUICKSILVER MX QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 5961
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT PILOT HAD BEEN PRACTICING MANEUVERS THAT WEREDESCRIBED AS WHIP STALLS WHICH WERE NOT TAUGHT OR AUTHORIZEDBECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE 'G' FORCES IMPOSED. AN INSTRUCTOR CHECKED HIS MACHINE AND WARNED HIM OF THE DANGERS ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT SAID HE UNDERSTOOD AND WOULD 'WATCH IT'. LATER THAT DAY HE PRACTICED SIMILAR MANEUVERS AGAIN AND THE LEFT WING FOLDED FROM NEGATIVE G FORCES. THIS MACHINE IS LIMITED TO 3 NEGATIVE 'G'S'. THE VEHICLE FELL FROM ABOUT 350 FT IN A VERTICAL UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AFTER THE WING FAILED.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 377 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58M at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from ILG, 13 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.