Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger I accident near Rayle, Georgia, March 16, 2008
On March 16, 2008 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger I, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Rayle, Georgia (Washington-Wilkes airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2008 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rayle, Georgia · Washington-Wilkes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Challenger I, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 0200-CHI-0739
- 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 was flying an unregistered amateur built Quad City Challenger I in cruise flight when the engine "stopped cold." During the forced landing, the airplane struck a power line, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The airplane was equipped with a non-certificated Rotax 503 engine. The pilot inspected the contents of the fuel tank, and found no contamination. He removed the fuel bowls from the engine's dual carburetors and found them to be full of fuel. He was able to rotate the engine by hand and believed the engine stoppage was caused by an ignition failure.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Not specified
Pilot
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 1, 2008; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IIY Washington GA at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:59 pm from 3J7, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.