Eipper QUICKSILVER MX accident near Berthoud, Colorado, May 4, 1984
On May 4, 1984 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Eipper QUICKSILVER MX (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Berthoud, Colorado. 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
- May 4, 1984 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Berthoud, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eipper QUICKSILVER MX QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 3136093
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHTS WERE FLYING IN LOOSE FORMATION ON A SHORT X-COUNTRY. DURING THE FLT, THE WIND SHIFTED TO THE EAST AND CREATED SOME TURBULENCE AND DOWNDRAFTS NEAR THE END OF THE JOURNEY ON FINAL APPROACH. THE LEAD VEHICLE LANDED WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE THAT HIS COMPANION HAD CRASHED. WITNESSES SAW THE ACCIDENT ULTRALIGHT IN APPARENT TROUBLE DESCENDING AND ASCENDING BEFORE DIVING INTO THE GROUND. THE SURVIVING PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED A SINK OVER A DEPRESSION WHILE ON FINAL, BUT NEEDED IT TO LOSE ALT SO IT DID NOT BOTHER HIM AND HE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS FOUND INTACT AND ALL ACFT PARTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF AN INFLIGHT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: 10 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax R503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V Erie CO at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.