Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II accident near Aurora, Illinois, October 28, 1984
On October 28, 1984 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II, registered N3998J, was destroyed in an accident near Aurora, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- October 28, 1984 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- N3998J · no longer on the register · serial 1255
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT LANDED IN OPEN FIELD TO TIGHTEN HIS SCARF, WHICH HAD BECOME LOOSE AND POSED A POSSIBLE HAZARD. A SECOND ULTRALIGHT LANDED TO SEE OF THE PLT HAD PROBLEMS, THEN DEPARTED TOWARD THE EAST, SUCCESSFULY NEGOTIATING A 10 KT X-WIND.PLT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF IN SAME DIRECTION. LACK OF HEADWIND COMPONENT PROLONGED THE GROUND RUN AND ACFT ENTERED A ROUGHER AREA. X-WIND RAISED LEFT WING AS LEFT GEAR STRUCK A DIRT BANK, CAUSING ACFT TO NOSE DOWN INTO TERRAIN.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 505 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Aurora IL at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from ARR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.