QUICKSILVER MX II SP N4399J accident near Visalia, California

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind conditions and failure to maintain runway alignment while landing.

NTSB analysis

A witness observed the airplane in a field moving back and forth across a make shift dirt landing strip. He then observed the airplane take off and fly in a “circling maneuver” for approximately one hour. The witness stated that the airplane was flying eastbound over the makeshift landing strip and he watched as it attempted to land in windy conditions. He observed the airplane blown by the wind slightly to the south of the landing strip and crash, flipping over an unknown number of times. A police officer noted that this may have been the pilot’s first actual flight in this airplane and that at the time of the accident there was “a variable wind in the area that did pick up.” Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane landed on a soft/rough surface off the runway which resulted in the collapse of the right main gear. Further damage to the airplane occurred when the pusher propeller cut through a tail support tube of the airplane. The pilot did not hold any pilot or medical certificate.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10LA271 for the full record.