Quicksilver GT-400 accident near West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, May 7, 2006
On May 7, 2006 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Quicksilver GT-400, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Middlesex, Pennsylvania (West Middlesex 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from trees during the initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2006 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Middlesex, Pennsylvania · West Middlesex Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver GT-400, amateur-built · all GT-400s on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial UNKNOWN
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot/owner took off in the unregistered "ultralight type" airplane from a grass airstrip. During the initial climb, the airplane drifted right and impacted trees, then the ground. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated "better takeoff technique by staying closer to [the runway] centerline."
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: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PA21 West Middlesex PA
- Destination: PA21 West Middlesex PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC06CA111.