Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II SP accident near Visalia, California, June 1, 2010
On June 1, 2010 at about 8:20 pm local time, a amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II SP, registered N4399J, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Visalia, California (Private Runway 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
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind conditions and failure to maintain runway alignment while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2010 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Visalia, California · Private Runway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built QUICKSILVER MX II SP
- Registration
- N4399J · no longer on the register · serial 3916887
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the airplane in a field moving back and forth across a make shift dirt landing strip. He then observed the airplane take off and fly in a “circling maneuver” for approximately one hour. The witness stated that the airplane was flying eastbound over the makeshift landing strip and he watched as it attempted to land in windy conditions. He observed the airplane blown by the wind slightly to the south of the landing strip and crash, flipping over an unknown number of times. A police officer noted that this may have been the pilot’s first actual flight in this airplane and that at the time of the accident there was “a variable wind in the area that did pick up.” Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane landed on a soft/rough surface off the runway which resulted in the collapse of the right main gear. Further damage to the airplane occurred when the pusher propeller cut through a tail support tube of the airplane. The pilot did not hold any pilot or medical certificate.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: None Visalia CA
- Destination: None Visalia CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KVIS, 7 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.
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.