1 Jan 2017: QUICKSILVER GT-400 R503 NO SERIES

1 Jan 2017: QUICKSILVER GT-400 R503 NO SERIES (N415HC) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • New Braunfels, TX, United States

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power due to a loose spark plug. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper preflight inspection of the airplane.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On January 1, 2017, about 1130 central standard time, a Quicksilver GT-400 R503 experimental light sport airplane, N415HC, impacted power lines during a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power near New Braunfels, Texas. The sport pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed a private airstrip about 1110.

According to the pilot/owner, about 15 minutes into the pleasure flight, the engine began "sputtering" and losing power. The pilot attempted to correct the problem by adjusting the throttle and applying engine primer. The attempts were unsuccessful in restoring engine power. The pilot then identified a field for a forced landing. During the forced landing, the right main landing gear struck a power line. After impacting the power line, the airplane flipped inverted, and dropped about 20 feet onto a carport rooftop. The pilot exited the airplane.

Examination of the airplane by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed both wings were bent and the wing fabric was damaged. No visual anomalies with the engine were noted.

After the airplane was recovered from the carport, the pilot and a few friends examined the airplane and systems. The pilot noticed that one of the four engine spark plugs was loose in the cylinder. The pilot determined that the loose spark plug led to a loss of compression and partial loss of engine power during the accident flight. The pilot's safety recommendation, as noted in the pilot/operator accident report, stated "closer inspection of checking spark plugs before flight."

Contributing factors

  • cause Damaged/degraded
  • factor Pilot
  • factor Inadequate inspection
  • Contributed to outcome

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 040/07kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.