# NTSB WPR12LA126: Quicksilver MX Sprint II, N702U, Willits, CA, March 8, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 8, 2012, 13:11 local (21:11 UTC) - Place: Willits, CA - Coordinates: 39.666942, -123.590553 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6669&lon=-123.5906&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Landing area undershoot](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/370) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 28, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 83081 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR12LA126 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/83081/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83081 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR12LA126 ## Probable cause The student pilot did not maintain an adequate approach/glide path and altitude, which resulted in a runway undershoot and subsequent collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's lack of flight experience. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: descent/approach/glide path](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040/cases.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 809 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) - [Experience/qualifications: total experience](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015): Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge · Student/instructed pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015/cases.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 126 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: tree(s)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Not specified; cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020/cases.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 933 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020/cases.md) - [Personnel issues](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02040000): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Student/instructed pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02040000/cases.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 56 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02040000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing: Landing area undershoot](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/370) (defining event); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/370/sequence.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 201 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/370/sequence.md) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=059014M), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The accident flight was the student pilot's first solo flight in the airplane and second flight overall. He had no flight experience prior to operating this airplane. The pilot reported that he was attempting to land on a private dirt strip when the airplane encountered a tailwind that quickly dropped him down 25 feet into the terrain. The right wing clipped several treetops, and the airplane crashed 20 feet short of the dirt strip. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. ## Factual narrative On March 8, 2012, at 1311 Pacific standard time, a Quicksilver MX Sprint II, N702U, impacted a hillside near Willits, California. The student pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Fort Bragg, California, about 1245. The student pilot stated to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector (FAA) who arrived on-scene that this was his first solo flight in the airplane and second flight overall. He had no flight experience prior to operating this airplane. The pilot said that he encountered a tail wind that quickly dropped him down 25 feet into the terrain as he was attempting to land. The FAA inspector reported that the right wing hit several treetops before the airplane crashed 20 feet short of the dirt strip that the pilot was attempting to land on. Damage to the airplane included bent and buckled aluminum tubes that form the tail structure, and damage to the forward airframe tubes that support the nose wheel. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures during the flight. The pilot of the California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR) helicopter that responded to the accident (but did not land) reported that there was no wind at the time of his dispatch. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1/2. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N702U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N702U-2012-12-10), registration cancelled 2012-12-10, S/N 0642, built 2005 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: QUICKSILVER MX SPRINT II - Registry model: [Quicksilver MX SPRINT II](https://openairdocs.org/model/quicksilver-mx-sprint-ii) (registry code 059014M) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 582SER](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ser) (registry code 55556, 2 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 0642 - Engines: ROTAX 582 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Donald Carr - Registered owner: Donald Carr - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 82CL, Ft Bragg, CA - Destination: Willits, CA - Flight plan: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 55; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 32 °F - Altimeter: 30.29 inHg - Observed at: KUKI, 22 nm away ## 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 20120308005359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120308005359A), Mar 8, 2012: Quicksilver MX SPRINT II, Willits, CA, Destroyed. Pilot in command (PIC) [privacy data omitted] recently purchased aircraft and was relocating aircraft from local airport to private residence. PIC stated that… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 16, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83081. 6.3 MB in all. - Witness Statement (item 1, .PDF, 646 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367783&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1 - Right side view (item 2, .PDF, 2.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367784&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20Right%20side%20view-Master.PDF - Photo 2 - right rear view (item 3, .PDF, 3.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367785&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20right%20rear%20view-Master.PDF - Inspector's Examination Notes (item 4, .PDF, 170 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40367791&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Inspector%27s%20Examination%20Notes-Redacted.PDF 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. --- 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.