What happened
On January 20, 2026, at 16:58 CST, a Quicksilver II, registration N4NH, was involved in an accident at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH) in Spring, Texas. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use.
The pilot intended to remain in the traffic pattern and perform a water landing on the adjacent water runway. After retracting the landing gear, the engine began running roughly and the power dropped from 6,500 rpm to approximately 1,800 rpm. While at approximately 100 feet above ground level, the pilot lowered the nose to land on the remaining runway.
The aircraft made a hard landing on the left side of the runway with the wings level and the landing gear still in the retracted position. The aircraft slid into the grass on the left side of runway 17L, coming to a stop near taxiway H. Just before touchdown, the engine power began to recover, returning to full power while the aircraft was sliding on its floats. The pilot then closed the throttle to idle, shut down the engine, and exited the aircraft. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
Post-accident inspection revealed that the hard landing caused several structural issues. The aluminum tubes extending from the rear engine area to the main landing gear were bent. The engine was displaced toward the rear, and the propeller struck the elevator control tube, severing it. Additionally, the propeller contact fractured the elevator control horn and damaged the elevator trim cable. The pilot also noted that several other aluminum structural tubes were bent.