Quad City Ultralight Acft CORP CHALLENGER II accident near Kalispell, Montana, November 26, 2013
On November 26, 2013 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 2005 Quad City Ultralight Acft CORP CHALLENGER II, registered N522PE, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Kalispell, Montana (Kalispell City 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
A loss of engine power due to the spark plug coming out of the cylinder head.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 2013 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kalispell, Montana · Kalispell City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City Ultralight Acft CORP CHALLENGER II II, built 2005 · all CHALLENGER IIs on the register
- Registration
- N522PE · registry record · serial CH211941248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the sport pilot, during takeoff in his experimental light sport airplane equipped with a two cylinder engine, he noted a loss of engine power. During the forced off airport landing, the airplane struck a fence post followed by a hard landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and fuselage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the number 2 spark plug had pulled out of the cylinder head and the threads from the cylinder head were still attached to the spark plug.
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 engine power (total) during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Spark plugs/igniters › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: sport pilot
- Flight time: 552 hours in all; 497 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 532 as pilot in command; 70 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 31, 2013
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 668 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 2013; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2706 (piston); 668 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S27 Kalispell MT at 4:30 pm
- Destination: S27 Kalispell MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KGPI, 8 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.
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 WPR14CA058.