# NTSB CEN26LA097: Quicksilver II, N4NH, Spring, TX, January 20, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: January 20, 2026, 16:58 local (22:58 UTC)
- Place: Spring, TX · KDWH Runway 17L Taxiway H
- Coordinates: 30.057222, -95.551526
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0572&lon=-95.5515&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Parties: FAA
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202331
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN26LA097
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202331/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA097

## Preliminary report

On January 20,2026, 1658 central standard time, a Quicksilver II, N4NH, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, DWH, in Spring, Texas. The pilot, sole occupant, sustained no injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed runway 17L with intentions of staying in the traffic pattern and making a water landing at the adjacent water runway at the airport. After retracting the landing gear, the engine ran very rough and lost power from the normal 6,500 rpm to about 1,800 rpm. The airplane was about 100 ft above ground level (agl) as the pilot lowered the nose and prepared for landing on the remaining runway. The airplane landed hard on the left side of the runway with the wings level and the landing gear still retracted. The airplane continued into the grass on the left side of runway 17L and came to rest near taxiway H. Just before touchdown, the engine power began to recover, and the engine returned to full power as the airplane was sliding on its floats. The pilot closed the throttle to idle, turned off the engine, and exited the airplane. During the hard landing the aluminum tubes from the rear engine area to the main landing gear were bent. The engine was displaced aft and the propeller contacted the elevator control tube and severed it. The elevator control horn was fractured and the elevator trim cable was damaged by contact with the propeller. The pilot also reported that several aluminum structural tubes were bent. He stated that there was no other damage to the airplane. The pilot, with the help of ground personnel, lowered the landing gear, and returned the airplane to the hangar for further inspection.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Heimberger Norm QUICKSILVER II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=05904OC), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N4NH](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4NH), registered now, S/N 0622, built 2010 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: QUICKSILVER II
- Registry model: [Heimberger Norm QUICKSILVER II](https://openairdocs.org/model/heimberger-norm-quicksilver-ii) (registry code 05904OC) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Rotax 582UL DCDI](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ul-dcdi) (registry code 55563, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number: 0622
- Year built: 2010
- Airframe hours: 415.5
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection: Condition, June 17, 2025, 18.5 hours before
- Destination: Same as departure
- Airport: DWH, David Wayne Hooks Meml, runway 17L/35R, 3,500 × 35 ft, concrete
- Equipment: None

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observed at: KDWH ATIS

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20260120002699A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260120002699A), Jan 20, 2026: Heimberger Norm QUICKSILVER II, Spring, TX, Substantial damage. Engine run for 15 min prior to departure, including warmup/runup. Thermostat open and radiator warm to the touch. Normal operating temp reached. Departure 17L…

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.

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