Quicksilver Aircraft Northeast Sport accident near Ledgedale, Pennsylvania, June 17, 2019
On June 17, 2019 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 2015 Quicksilver Aircraft Northeast Sport, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N418RB, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ledgedale, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in the precautionary landing on unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2019 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ledgedale, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver Aircraft Northeast Sport 2S, built 2015, amateur-built
- Registration
- N418RB · no longer on the register · serial 0303
- 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, before the flight, he added 4.5 gallons of fuel to the 12-gallon fuel tank and that, while flying at a high-density altitude, "it never occurred to…[him to] monitor fuel consumption for the 80-mile flight." About 1 hour 25 minutes into the flight, the engine sputtered, and the pilot made an emergency landing in a field. He then obtained fuel and added it to the airplane and subsequently attempted to take off, but after the airplane climbed about 2 ft, the landing gear entered tall grass, which got caught on the main landing gear wheels. The airplane then abruptly stopped and flipped over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on operation
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 468 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 375 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 26, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 71.0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 80 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGJ Montgomery NY at 2:20 pm
- Destination: VAP Wilkes-Barre/Sc PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KLBE, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 5, 2019. 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 | 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.