Quicksilver Mfg MXL II SPORT accident near Live Oak, California, October 20, 2012
On October 20, 2012 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Quicksilver Mfg MXL II SPORT, registered N187AB, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Live Oak, California (Sutter Butte Dusters (Ag) airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to compensate for turbulent conditions, which resulted in a loss of altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2012 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Live Oak, California · Sutter Butte Dusters (Ag) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quicksilver Mfg MXL II SPORT
- Registration
- N187AB · registry record · serial 000790
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed the airstrip, and the airplane experienced light turbulence. He entered a left traffic pattern to the downwind leg, and the turbulence stopped. After executing a touch-and-go landing, the pilot departed to the south. Subsequently, between 50 and 100 feet above ground level, the airplane began to lose lift. The pilot landed the airplane in a rice field, it nosed over as the wheels contacted the vegetation, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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 lift during initial climb defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › (general) › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 153 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 112 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 8, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 95 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 2012; 30 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Live Oak CA at 9:20 pm
- Destination: N/A Live Oak CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,200 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MYV, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.