Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MXL accident near Lexington, Tennessee, July 22, 2013
On July 22, 2013 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER MXL, registered N2590B, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Lexington, Tennessee (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot/builder’s failure to maintain airspeed following a loss of engine power, which resulted in an exceedance of the wing’s critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot/builder’s inadequate procedures to ensure a clean fuel supply to the engine, which resulted in a clogged fuel filter and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2013 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lexington, Tennessee · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MXL
- Registration
- N2590B · no longer on the register · serial 24050470
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot, who was also the builder of the airplane, took off from a pasture, and, shortly thereafter, the engine quit. The student pilot turned the airplane back toward the pasture, but while approaching it, the airplane stalled and then impacted the ground. The student pilot subsequently found that the fuel filter was clogged, which likely resulted in fuel starvation to the engine. According to the student pilot, he did not have a way to check the fuel quality onboard the airplane, and the airplane's last inspection was completed over 5 years earlier. The student pilot did not note when or if the fuel system had ever been flushed or if the fuel filter was ever changed, but he speculated that the containers he used to transport fuel from a local gas station might have collected dust over time from filling or draining. The student pilot reported only 10 hours of total flight time, all in the accident airplane make and model, which coincided with the 5+ years he had been operating the airplane.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Owner/builder
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 13, 2008; 10 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 10 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Lexington TN
- Destination: NONE Lexington TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MKL, 30 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.
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.