Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to a fractured crankshaft.
NTSB analysis
The flight instructor and the student pilot just landed from a cross country instructional flight. They decided to conduct additional traffic pattern work and took off from the grass strip. During the takeoff, when the airplane was 200 feet above the ground, there was a total loss of engine power. The flight instructor elected to allow the student handle the emergency. They were not able to return to the grass strip and elected to land in a rough corn field. The airplane landed flat with the left main wheel touching first. When the nose tire touched the ground the airplane flipped over. The forward section of airframe structure, where the student pilot was seated, collapsed. An examination of the engine revealed a fractured crankshaft near the number 2 piston journal section. The airplane’s maintenance records did not provide any history on the engine.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09LA025 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 21, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Wingate, North Carolina
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Serious injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
QUICKSILVER
- N-number
- N184GT
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.