Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX accident near Shelby Township, Michigan, August 10, 1983
On August 10, 1983, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Shelby Township, Michigan. 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
- August 10, 1983
- Place
- Shelby Township, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 4631
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT WAS FLYING LOW OVER A GRAVEL PIT AND SUDDENLY PULLED UP AND WENT INTO A DIVE. THE ACFT ENGINE WAS RUNNINGTHROUGHOUT THE MANEUVER ACCORDING TO WITNESSES. THE ACFT DID NOT PULL OUT OF THE DIVE AND THE ACFT DOVE INTO THE WATER. ONE WITNESS THOUGHT THE WINDY DAY MIGHT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PLT GETTING INTO TOO STEEP A DIVING MANEUVER AT LOW ALT ACCORDING TO A CO-OWNER OF THE ACFT WHO ALSO WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT, THIS WAS THE PLTS 2ND FLT IN THIS ACFT.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 525 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.