# Incident 19960428015229I: Qckslv GT500, Marthas Vineyar, MA, April 28, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 1996, 13:00 local time
- Place: Marthas Vineyar, MA
- Airport: Marthas Vineyard
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3934° N, 70.6139° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MARTHA'S VINEYARD (MVY), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3934&lon=-70.6139&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5502J, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5502J) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Quicksilver GT-500 (registry code 7350000, https://openairdocs.org/model/quicksilver-gt-500) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582SER (registry code 55556, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: QCKSLV GT500
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 495 total, 89 in this make and model, 38 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960428015229I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT DEPARTED MVY AT 12:00 LOCAL TIME. ATIS REPORTED THE WEATHER TO BE CLEAR AND THE WIND TO BE 240 AT 15 KNOTS. THE PILOT CLIMBED TO 3000' ASL AND WAS PERFORMING THE REQUIRED TESTS FOR APPLICATION FOR A PRIMARY CATEGORY AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. AFTER ABOUT ONE HOUR THE ATIS WEATHER WAS REPORTING THE WINDS TO BE GUSTING TO 24 KNOTS. AT THIS TIME THE PILOT DECIDED TO RETURN TO MVY FOR A RUNWAY LANDING. UPON APPROACHING THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT HAS FLOATS AS WELL AS LANDING GEAR. A FLOAT CABLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE TIRE PREVENTING IT'S FULL TRAVEL. THE PILOT NOTIFIED THE CONTROL TOWER THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND NORTH OF THE AIRPORT IN LAGOON POND. HE WAS GOING TO LAND IN THE WATER, REPOSITION THE CABLE AND RETURN TO MVY AIRPORT FOR A RUNWAY LANDING. AFTER TOUCH DOWN IN LAGOON POND, THE AIRCRAFT WAS HIT BY A STRONG GUST OF WIND FROM HIS RIGHT SIDE. THE WIND LIFTED THE RIGHT WING UP HIGHER THAN THE LEFT. THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE WATER AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNDER WATER WITH THE FLOATS ON TOP OF THE WATER. THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS RESCUED BY A BOAT. MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS THE RESULT OF THE SALVAGE EFFORTS TO REMOVE THE UPSIDE DOWN AIRCRAFT FROM THE WATER. THE WINDSHIELD WAS DAMAGED BY THE PILOT ATTEMPTING TO EXIT THE UPSIDE DOWN AIRCRAFT. THE WINGS AND AILERONS HAVE MINOR DAMAGE. SALT WATER DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE AIRCRAFT.

## Other reports on N5502J (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20060831022089I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060831022089I), Aug 31, 2006: Qckslv GT500 (N5502J), Laconia, NH, Minor damage. (-23) Aircraft was on a test flight program for the evaluation of the STC for the full lotus floats installation. During the landing the pilot did not see a…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
