Quicksilver SPORT 2S R582 accident near Ventura, California, January 17, 2009
On January 17, 2009 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Quicksilver SPORT 2S R582, registered N6976C, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ventura, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 2009 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ventura, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver SPORT 2S R582 · all SPORT 2S R582s on the register
- Registration
- N6976C · no longer on the register · serial 0024
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the amateur-built airplane, while he was cruising about 500 feet above the Pacific Ocean, the airplane's control stick appeared to be bound-up and the plane was banking to the left. He put his airplane in the water about 600 feet from the coastline and he and his passenger were rescued by a person on a jet ski. The pilot recovered his airplane from the water and he examined it; the stick and aileron cables appeared to be normal, and he did not observe any evidence of a flight control problem. The pilot did not indicate that there was any malfunction with the engine, propeller, or accessories. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector examined the airplane wreckage and confirmed flight control continuity without any evidence of control binding. The pilot made a statement to a responding sheriff's deputy that he had been flying with his passenger at an altitude between 200 and 300 feet above the water, and about 100 yards from the shore, when the engine began to lose power. The pilot stated that he turned his airplane toward the shore and began to look for a safe place to land when suddenly something broke off. The airplane began to lose altitude and, unable to reach the shore, the airplane crashed into the ocean. The pilot's passenger was also interviewed by the deputy and estimated that the pilot had been flying between 100 and 200 feet above the ocean just prior to the impact. The deputy also interviewed a witness who was located at a beachside camp site who observed the airplane flying between 20 and 50 feet above the ocean just prior to it turning left and impacting the water. A Safety Board investigator interviewed a witness who was also located at a beach camp site. The witness provided a drawing depicting the accident airplane's flight path, crash site, and the locations of bystanders. The witness reported that prior to the crash he had observed the airplane flying straight and level in a southerly direction about 20 feet above the water, 100 yards from the beach, and approximately 50 yards (horizontally) from surfers. The witness stated that "when the plane turned toward the beach...the left wing clipped the water" about 100 yards horizontally from the witness.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 170 hours in all; 160 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 27, 2008
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 190 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 WPR09CA088.