Amateur-built QUICKSILVER GT500 accident near Perris, California, May 9, 1992
On May 9, 1992, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER GT500, registered N16LM, was destroyed in an accident near Perris, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF HIS AIRPLANE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 1992
- Place
- Perris, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER GT500 QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- N16LM · no longer on the register · serial GT5001034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR-WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT PILOT CRUISING HIS EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE AT ABOUT 600 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, THE AIRPLANE GRADUALLY NOSED OVER AND DESCENDED 'STRAIGHT TOWARD THE GROUND.' THERE WAS NO REPORT OF ANY OTHER AIR TRAFFIC IN THE VICINITY. THE SKY WAS CLEAR AND THE WIND WAS LIGHT AND VARIABLE. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF ANY PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION, AND THE ENGINE APPEARED CAPABLE OF OPERATION. THE TERRAIN IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE CONSISTED OF AN OPEN FIELD. THE REASON THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF HIS AIRPLANE WAS NOT ESTABLISHED.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 160 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.