Quicksilver MXL SPORT accident near Point Mugu, California, November 19, 2017
On November 19, 2017 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 2001 Quicksilver MXL SPORT, registered N7712, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Point Mugu, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2017 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Point Mugu, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver MXL SPORT NO SERIES, built 2001
- Registration
- N7712 · registry record · serial 4606220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while following a friend performing an instructional flight, the other aircraft motioned to indicate that the student pilot had taken the flight controls, so he "broke away to the right." He added that he began a descent in an area of known power wires and "in [his] mind's eye, [he] had already [passed] the second of 2 sets" of power wires. He added that the airplane struck the power wires "at eye level" and then impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 651 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 0.8 in the last 90 days; 0.4 in the last 30 days; 651 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 28, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 672 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 16, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 525 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 387 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 10:25 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 28,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from KNTD, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 10, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.