Eipper QUICKSILVER E accident near Fargo, North Dakota, November 6, 1983
On November 6, 1983 at about 11:07 pm local time, a Eipper QUICKSILVER E (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Fargo, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- November 6, 1983 · about 11:07 pm local time
- Place
- Fargo, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eipper QUICKSILVER E QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 1510
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-RATED PLT HAD TAKEN GROUND & DUAL FLT INSTRUCTION IN ULTRALIGHT FLYING & HAD SOLOED EARLIER THAT DAY. HE THEN TOOK OFF & FLEW EAST, AWAY FROM THE DESIGNATED ULTRALIGHT TRAINING AREA. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, WITNESSES DRIVING EAST ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SAW THE PLT FLYING WESTBOUND AT LOW ALTITUDE. TWO WITNESSES SAID THE PLT WAVED AT THEM AS HE FLEW BY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THEY NOTICED A SHOWER OF SPARKS TO THEIR REAR. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE. THE ULTRALIGHT REMAINED ENTANGLED IN THE WIRES FOR AN ESTIMATED 35 TO 45 SECONDS. IT BEGAN BURNING BEFORE IT FELL TO THE GROUND. REPORTEDLY, THERE WAS A 'SMALL EXPLOSION' WHEN THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK WAS MELTED BY THE FIRE. THE PLT WAS BURNED OVER 57% OF HIS BODY WITH 3RD DEGREE BURNS, BUT SURVIVED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 2 TO 3 MIN AFTER SUNSET.
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
- Flight time: 7 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 215 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Mapleton ND at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 pm from FAR, 8 miles away
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.