Quicksilver MXL II SPORT accident near Clyo, Georgia, July 23, 2000
On July 23, 2000 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Quicksilver MXL II SPORT, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Clyo, Georgia (Briar Patch airport). 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 failure of the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft due to impairment by use of drugs, and the resultant uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2000 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clyo, Georgia · Briar Patch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver MXL II SPORT MXL II SPO, amateur-built · all MXL II SPORTs on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 00795
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the owner/home-builder of the aircraft, he had just test flown the newly finished, personally modified Quicksilver MXL II Sport, twice for a total time of about 15 minutes. He allowed the accident pilot to fly it next, and after about three or four circles over the airstrip, the aircraft flew out of sight over a forest. When the engine sound abruptly stopped, the owner/builder went searching and found the wreckage. According to FAA inspectors, the aircraft did not meet the requirements for FAR Part 103 relating to ultralight vehicles. The owner/builder, the accident pilot, and the aircraft were not FAA certified or registered. The owner/builder, the accident pilot, and the aircraft were not USUA or EAA registered, and the aircraft had not been granted a USUA or EAA waiver for ultralight training. Examination of the wreckage site revealed evidence that the engine, airframe, and flight controls were functional until tree and terrain collision. FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory testing of specimens from the pilot revealed use of numerous prescription drugs, as well as recent use of marihuana.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 720 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9GA1 Clyo GA at 12:26 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from SAV, 23 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.