What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On may 13, 2005, at 2109 local time, Ercoupe 415C, N2406H, at Hummel field on take-off from rwy 1, the aircraft engine quit at about 75 feet AGL. Pilot privacy data omitted immediately checked the mixture and then turned left (northwest) to avoid trees and land in a small pasture. After clipping the top of a wooden fence-post at the south end of the pasture the aircraft landed, rolled northwest across the pasture and through a barbed-wire fence where it struck an unoccupied farm tractor. The pilot suffered minor facial abrasions and the passenger was not injured. Impact with the tractor caused substantial damage to the aircraft nose and wings. Propeller damage indicates that the engine was not making power at the time of impact. The fuselage tank, which gravity-feeds to the engine carburetor, was about two-thirds full. Investigation indicates that an improperly clamped mixture control cable housing allowed the cable and housing to slip and move the mixture control arm on the carburetor to the lean position while the mixture control in the cockpit remained in the full rich position. According to the pilot, the aircraft had a recent history of engine failures in flight.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON MAY 13, 2005, AT 2109 LOCAL TIME, ERCOUPE 415C, N2406H, AT HUMMEL FIELD ON TAKE-OFF FROM RWY 1, THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE QUIT AT ABOUT 75 FEET AGL. PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE MIXTURE AND THEN TURNED LEFT (NORTHWEST) TO AVOID TREES AND LAND IN A SMALL PASTURE. AFTER CLIPPING THE TOP OF A WOODEN FENCE-POST AT THE SOUTH END OF THE PASTURE THE AIRCRAFT LANDED, ROLLED NORTHWEST ACROSS THE PASTURE AND THROUGH A BARBED-WIRE FENCE WHERE IT STRUCK AN UNOCCUPIED FARM TRACTOR. THE PILOT SUFFERED MINOR FACIAL ABRASIONS AND THE PASSENGER WAS NOT INJURED. IMPACT WITH THE TRACTOR CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT NOSE AND WINGS. PROPELLER DAMAGE INDICATES THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT MAKING POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE FUSELAGE TANK, WHICH GRAVITY-FEEDS TO THE ENGINE CARBURETOR, WAS ABOUT TWO-THIRDS FULL. INVESTIGATION INDICATES THAT AN IMPROPERLY CLAMPED MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE HOUSING ALLOWED THE CABLE AND HOUSING TO SLIP AND MOVE THE MIXTURE CONTROL ARM ON THE CARBURETOR TO THE LEAN POSITION WHILE THE MIXTURE CONTROL IN THE COCKPIT REMAINED IN THE FULL RICH POSITION. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE AIRCRAFT HAD A RECENT HISTORY OF ENGINE FAILURES IN FLIGHT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.