Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX accident near Lakeside, California, May 15, 1983
On May 15, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeside, California. It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeside, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NONE
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA. SHE ELECTED TO FLY ABOVE THE CLOUDS, BUT HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING AN OPENING FOR A DESCENT. AFTER EVENTUALLY FINDING AN OPENING, SHE DESCENDED BELOW THE CLOUDS, BUT FOUND SHE WAS IN AN UNFAMILIAR AREA. THE PLT BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF FUEL & STARTED TO LAND IN THE BEST AVAILABLE AREA. HOWEVER, BEFORE LANDING, THE FRONT WHEEL OF THE ULTRALIGHT CONTACTED A HIGH TENSION WIRE & THE VEHICLE CRASHED.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 17 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 43OR (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Romona CA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.