Quicksilver MX2 accident near Poplarville, Mississippi, February 17, 2013
On February 17, 2013 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Quicksilver MX2, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Poplarville, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noncertificated pilot’s decision to make the flight and his failure to maintain clearance from trees while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2013 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Poplarville, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver MX2
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial Unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noncertificated pilot was conducting his first flight in the unregistered experimental airplane, which he purchased several months before the accident. No logbook entries were found indicating whether the pilot had previous flight experience. The pilot flew the airplane for about 30 minutes near his home before making a low pass over a field about 50 feet above ground level. Witnesses heard the engine power increase as the airplane approached a line of trees and then observed the left wing contact a tree top and the airplane subsequently impact the ground. A witness reported that the pilot had been consuming alcohol on the day of the accident. Results from toxicological testing indicated the presence of alcohol in the pilot's blood; however, the amount of ethanol detected in the blood was lower than the level that the Federal Aviation Administration has determined pilots may fly, although any amount of ethanol may be impairing. In addition, toxicological testing found narcotic pain medications in the pilot's urine and other tissues; however, none of these narcotics were found in the pilot's blood, which suggests that the pilot likely used narcotics several days before the accident. Therefore, the extent of the pilot's impairment due to use of alcohol and narcotic medications could not be determined.
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 (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 720 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 Model 90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Poplarville MS at 9:00 pm
- Destination: Poplarville MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from HSA, 171 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.