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Accidents · NTSB CEN20LA407 · Final report

Quicksilver MX II accident near Marengo, Indiana, September 21, 2020

On September 21, 2020 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Quicksilver MX II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Marengo, Indiana. 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

A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane in conditions conducive to carburetor icing without a carburetor heating system, contrary to the engine manufacturer’s guidance.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 21, 2020 · about 5:00 pm local time
Place
Marengo, Indiana · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Quicksilver MX II, amateur-built
Registration
UNREG · no longer on the register · serial n/a
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During the flight before the accident flight, the pilot was in-bound to a grass trip. As he approached the grass strip, he advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond with increased power. He stated that the circumstances were similar to other carburetor icing events that he had experienced. He landed the airplane on the grass strip without incident and shut down the engine. He was on the ground for about 30 minutes before he decided to fly the airplane back to his residence. He started the engine and departed without any issue. He circled the airplane above the strip several times at full power, then decreased the power and proceeded toward home. According to the pilot, he was about 500 ft and turning toward his destination when the engine power decreased and would not respond to throttle movements. He turned toward an emergency landing area and became “disoriented and clipped a tree.” A postaccident examination revealed that the engine was not equipped with a carburetor heating system. The examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the weather conditions at the accident site, the airplane was operating in an area that was conducive for serious carburetor icing at glide power. It is likely that the engine experienced a loss of power due to carburetor icing.

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

  1. Fuel related during maneuvering defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
  • Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not installed/available
  • Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
  • Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › (general) › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: sport pilot
  • Flight time: 150 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: None
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 654 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: n/a Marengo IN at 4:50 pm
  • Destination: n/a Marengo IN
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
  • Observation at 6:35 pm from HNB

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

10 documents, released by the NTSB on June 2, 2022. 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.

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

2026-07-07CEN26LA246 · accident near Hooker, OK · substantial damage · minor injuries
2026-02-28CEN26LA131 · accident near Van Burensburg, IL · substantial damage · no injuries
2025-10-13ERA26LA017 · accident near Gaffney, SC · substantial damage · serious injuries
2025-09-27CEN25LA397 · accident near Harvard, IL · substantial damage · no injuries
2025-09-12CEN25LA385 · accident near Rossville, IN · substantial damage · serious injuries
2025-07-07CEN25LA242 · incident near Ingram, TX · minor damage · no injuries
2025-06-18DCA25WA305 · accident near N/A · serious injuries
2025-05-01OPS25LA034 · incident near Washington, DC
2025-04-11CEN25LA155 · accident near Brady, TX · substantial damage · serious injuries
2025-01-30DCA25MA108 · accident near Washington, DC · destroyed · fatal

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.