Eipper QUICKSILVER MX accident near Sumner, Washington, May 29, 1983
On May 29, 1983 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Eipper QUICKSILVER MX (ultralight), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sumner, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1983 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sumner, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eipper QUICKSILVER MX QUICKSILVE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND CRASHED INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT DURING A LOW PASS MANEUVER NEAR A MEMORIAL DAY CROWD IN A PARK. THE ULTRALIGHT ACFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. WITNESSES DESCRIBEDTHE ACFT DOING WING-OVER MANEUVERS OVER THE LAKE AND MAKING A SECOND PASS OVER THE BOAT RAMP PARK WHEN THE MISHAP OCCURRED. ONE WITNESS STATED THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE PILOT REACHED OVER HIS HEAD IN AN APPARENT ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THIS ACFT HAD 2 FUEL CONTAINERS. THE MAIN TANK WAS TURNED ON (PETCOCK OPEN) BUT IT WAS EMPTY OF FUEL. THE OTHER TANK WAS HALF FULL BUT OFF (PETCOCK CLOSED). THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TREE WHILE THE PILOT WAS TRYING TO RESTARTTHE ENGINE. THE ACFT HAD ONLY BEEN FLYING A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 29 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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
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.