- Date
- September 12, 2025, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rossville, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- UNREGQuicksilver MX II
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 201027
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distraction.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while flying about 100 ft above ground level in the unregistered airplane, he looked at his phone to determine his location during which time the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and impacted a bean field resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Quicksilver MX II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- UNK
- Engine
- Rotax GMBH 582, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Departed
- 1I9 · Delphi, IN
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 84
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 850 total · 75 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KLAF, 17 nm away
- METAR
- KLAF 121354Z 08003KT 10SM CLR 19/13 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP233 T01940128,M
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB in all.