Amateur-built C A SPCL QUICKS accident near Lucedale, Mississippi, October 22, 2000
On October 22, 2000 at about 2:15 pm local time, a amateur-built C A SPCL QUICKS, registered N302CA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lucedale, Mississippi (S. Miss. Light Acft. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to secure a fabric panel during preflight inspection resulting in the panel separating from the aircraft during climb after takeoff, passing through the propeller and damaging wing flap fabric, loss of engine power due to wing flap fabric wrapping around the propeller, and damage to the aircraft during a forced landing into trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2000 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lucedale, Mississippi · S. Miss. Light Acft. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built C A SPCL QUICKS C A SPCL Q
- Registration
- N302CA · registry record · serial GT-500-0052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a climbing turn after takeoff a fabric panel separated from the aircraft and went through the propeller. Fabric on the wing flaps was damage and the fabric wrapped around the propeller flange. The pilot reduced engine power to idle and set up for a forced landing. The aircraft was over trees and the pilot flared onto the trees. Examination of the aircraft after the accident by an FAA inspector showed the panel that separated is held in place by velcro and appears to have been left loose during preflight inspection.
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: 730 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 730 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 584 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 2000; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Slidell LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PQL, 30 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.
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.