Quicksilver 2S accident near Frontenac, Minnesota, August 20, 2014
On August 20, 2014 at about 1:00 am local time, a Quicksilver 2S, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Frontenac, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during cruise due to fuel exhaustion resulting in a forced landing on a cornfield.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2014 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Frontenac, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver 2S, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot reported that the airplane fuel tank contained one gallon of gasoline prior to departure. The pilot departed in his unregistered airplane on a local flight and monitored the fuel in the fuel tank line during the flight. He said the fuel line indicated that there was three inches of fuel in the fuel tank. The engine lost power about a half hour into the flight and one mile from its destination. The pilot made a forced landing on a cornfield, and the airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the accident flight. His safety recommendation stated that he should not have flown with so little fuel, and he should not have trusted the fuel level he saw in the line.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 100 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MY50 Frontenac MN
- Destination: MY50 Frontenac MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 12, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.