Quicksilver SPORT II accident near Welsh, Louisiana, September 26, 2023
On September 26, 2023 at about 2:09 pm local time, a 1989 Quicksilver SPORT II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N728NN, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Welsh, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient altitude from obstacles during the simulated landing approach which led to a collision with a fence and a building.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2023 · about 2:09 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Welsh, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver SPORT II, built 1989, amateur-built · all SPORT IIs on the register
- Registration
- N728NN · registry record · serial 548
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was making a simulated landing approach to determine clearance requirements for a runway he was planning to put on his property. He said that during the approach, there was a slight tailwind, and he flew about 6 to 7 ft. above the ground during the approach. There was a fence that crossed the approach path. The pilot surmised that as he approached the fence and added power the airplane settled and the tail skid caught the top wire of the electric fence, which altered the airplane’s trajectory. The airplane struck a building on the property and then the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,225 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 10,225 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 5, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 342 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 25, 2022
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 115 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R7 Jennings LA at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 am from KCWF, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCWF 261345Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 25/23 A3004
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane at accident site viewed from rear
Photograph 2 – Airplane at accident site viewed from rear right side of airplaneThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 4, 2024. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N728NN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Quicksilver SPORT II 7 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Quicksilver 138 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jennings Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 188 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,727 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA422.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.