# Accident 20100511033519A: Quicksilver GT-500, Big Lake, TX, May 11, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 11, 2010, 07:50 local time
- Place: Big Lake, TX
- Airport: Reagan County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.1989° N, 101.4725° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.1989&lon=-101.4725&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5502D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5502D-2017-07-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Quicksilver GT-500 (registry code 7350000, https://openairdocs.org/model/quicksilver-gt-500) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: QUICKSILVER GT-500
- Reported engine: BOMBARDIER ROTAX (ALL)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 7,600 total, 3,500 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN10CA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10CA249) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100511033519A

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 11, 2010, AT APPROXIMATELY 0750 CDT,  THE PILOT AND ONLY OCCUPANT OF N5502D, A QUICKSILVER GT-500 PRIMARY CATEGORY  AIRCRAFT, EXECUTED A TAKE OFF FROM RUNWAY 34 AT REAGAN COUNTY AIRPORT (E41) IN BIG LAKE, TEXAS.  THE PILOT REPORTED NORMAL ENGINE PERFORMANCE DURING TAKEOFF.  AT AN ALTITUDE OF 150 FEET AGL THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED, HIT TERRAIN AT A 30 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, SKIDDED FOR ABOUT 40 FEET, THEN FLIPPED OVER.  THE PILOT EXPERIENCED BACK SPASMS FROM THE IMPACT, WAS HOSPITILIZED FOR  A FEW HOURS AND RELEASED.  THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT AS DESTROYED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN10CA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10CA249), May 11, 2010: Quicksilver GT-500 (N5502D), Big Lake, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's loss of control when the airplane unexpectedly encountered a downdraft shortly after takeoff.

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.

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