History of Flight
On May 20, 2024, about 0842 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Quicksilver Sport 2S, N960B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Georgia. The sport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight.
The airplane owner transported it by ground to Mountain Airpark (0GE5), Cleveland, Georgia, where the sport pilot/light sport aircraft repairman performed maintenance, including replacing the fabric, replacing a throttle cable, and conducting a condition inspection. The accident flight was a post-maintenance test flight. Although the sport pilot owned a Zenith CH 701, he had never flown the make and model of the accident airplane. The owner noted that due to the short tail, the accident airplane lacked rudder effectiveness at slow airspeed and was subject to left turning tendencies (p-factor).
Review of airport security video revealed that the sport pilot attempted to take off on the north runway. Immediately after liftoff, the airplane turned left about 90°. The engine noise decreased, and the airplane appeared to momentarily come under control; however, it was flying toward the front of a hangar. The engine noise increased again, and the airplane cleared the hangar, but as it climbed in a left turn it abruptly descended behind the hangar and impacted the ground. After viewing the video, the owner stated that it appeared the pilot rotated too early and over-rotated, resulting in loss of control to the left.
Personnel Information
Review of the sport pilot’s logbook revealed that he had accumulated about 900 hours of flight time; however, there was no record of any experience in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was assembled from a kit in 2011 and was powered by a Rotax reciprocating engine driving an Aerolux three-blade ground adjustable composite propeller. The engine rotated the pusher propeller clockwise, as seen from the rear. The current owner purchased the airplane in December 2019. The most recent annual condition inspection was completed on May 8, 2024; at that time, the engine had 29.4 hours of operation, and the airframe total time was unknown.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in a nose-up attitude, oriented east in a grass area behind the hangar. The entire airplane was accounted for, with no debris path observed. The empennage remained intact and was canted left. The elevator remained attached and was deflected upward; control continuity was confirmed via crushed push-pull tubes. The elevator trim tab was attached to the right elevator and in a near-neutral position, with cable continuity to the cockpit. The rudder remained attached, deflected left; the left rudder cable was continuous, while the right rudder cable separated near the right rudder pedal, exhibiting broomstraw features. Metallurgical examination showed overstress features with no evidence of fatigue on both cable ends.
The wings remained attached; the left wing outboard leading edge had impact damage. Both ailerons remained attached with cable continuity to the control stick. The cockpit was crushed, but the pilot’s four-point harness remained intact. A Grand Rapids Technology Engine Information System 2000 was retained for data download, but the display screen was blank when powered on. A plastic fuel tank mounted above the cockpit remained intact with the fuel cap secured, containing about 1/4 tank of automotive gasoline. Hand movement of the propeller confirmed powertrain continuity. All three propeller blades remained attached to the hub; two were undamaged, and one was separated near the root, consistent with contact with the crushed tubular frame.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of death as “Generalized Blunt Force Trauma.” Toxicological testing by the FAA was positive for omeprazole, famotidine, atenolol, chlorothiazide, losartan, terazosin, rosuvastatin, and salicylic acid. None of the medications detected are considered impairing.