Quicksilver Challenger II accident near Porterville, California, October 5, 2002
On October 5, 2002 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Quicksilver Challenger II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Porterville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor in the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2002 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Porterville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver Challenger II, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 11BZ4
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The unregistered airplane experienced a loss of engine power after takeoff. The noncertificated pilot executed a forced landing in a field, which resulted in the left main landing gear separating when it contacted a tree. The pilot was not aware that the airplane did not comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 103, which specifies the requirements an aircraft must meet to operate as an ultralight vehicle rather than an 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
Pilot
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from BFL, 42 miles away
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.