Eipper QUICKSILVER E UNREG

Summary

On 6 November 1983 at about 23:07 local time, a Eipper QUICKSILVER E registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Fargo, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 November 1983 at 23:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

46.8896, -97.0502

Aircraft

Eipper QUICKSILVER E

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mapleton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN84FU001

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE NON-RATED PLT HAD TAKEN GROUND & DUAL FLT INSTRUCTION IN ULTRALIGHT FLYING & HAD SOLOED EARLIER THAT DAY. HE THEN TOOK OFF & FLEW EAST, AWAY FROM THE DESIGNATED ULTRALIGHT TRAINING AREA. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, WITNESSES DRIVING EAST ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SAW THE PLT FLYING WESTBOUND AT LOW ALTITUDE. TWO WITNESSES SAID THE PLT WAVED AT THEM AS HE FLEW BY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THEY NOTICED A SHOWER OF SPARKS TO THEIR REAR. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE. THE ULTRALIGHT REMAINED ENTANGLED IN THE WIRES FOR AN ESTIMATED 35 TO 45 SECONDS. IT BEGAN BURNING BEFORE IT FELL TO THE GROUND. REPORTEDLY, THERE WAS A 'SMALL EXPLOSION' WHEN THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK WAS MELTED BY THE FIRE. THE PLT WAS BURNED OVER 57% OF HIS BODY WITH 3RD DEGREE BURNS, BUT SURVIVED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 2 TO 3 MIN AFTER SUNSET.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.