Quicksilver MXL2 accident near Hildale, Utah, March 13, 1995
On March 13, 1995 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Quicksilver MXL2, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Hildale, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHILE BANKING THE AIRPLANE. THIS LED TO AN UNRECOVERABLE AERODYNAMIC STALL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE GROUND. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT ARE THE PILOT EXCEEDING THE AIRPLANE'S WEIGHT AND BALANCE LIMITATIONS, AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1995 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Hildale, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver MXL2
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial SPORT II 177
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE UNCERTIFIED PILOT HAD JUST FUELED THE AIRPLANE WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL APPROACHED HIM AND ASKED FOR A RIDE. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN OBSERVED TAKING OFF FROM A DIRT ROAD IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA. THE AIRPLANE MAINTAINED FLIGHT JUST ABOVE THE GROUND, UNTIL IT REACHED THE END OF THE ROAD, WHERE A FENCE WAS CLEARED. THE AIRPLANE THEN BEGAN TO GAIN ALTITUDE. TEN MINUTES LATER, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN IN A STEEP RIGHT TURN APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE AERODYNAMICALLY STALLED IN THE TURN. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED WHILE IN THE TURN AND THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO THE GROUND IN A NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 2 HOURS OF INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, AND A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF TEN HOURS. ANOTHER PILOT WHO HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE, REPORTED THE AIRPLANE'S WEIGHT AND PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES WERE EXCEEDED WITH THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF THE TWO OCCUPANTS AND FULL FUEL.
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: 10 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.