# Accident 20100818041489A: Engineering ERCOUPE 415, Leavenworth, WA, August 18, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 18, 2010, 10:15 local time
- Place: Leavenworth, WA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.8194° N, 120.7197° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.8194&lon=-120.7197&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2368H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2368H-2018-01-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-C (registry code 0420312, https://openairdocs.org/model/engineering-research-ercoupe-415-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental C85 series (registry code 17008, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ENGINEERING ERCOUPE 415
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,100 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR10LA411](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA411) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100818041489A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT AND PASSENGER DEPARTED 27W WESTBOUND AT ABOUT 1010 ON AUGUST 18, 2010. WITNESS (A PILOT WHO DROPPED THE OCCUPANTS OFF AT THE AIRSTRIP) SAID HE WATCHED THEM DEPART. WITNESS SAID THE AIRCRAFT STRUGGLED TO GET OVER THE TREES AT THE FAR END OF THE RUNWAY, BUT WHEN HE SAW IT CLEAR THE TOPS OF THE TREES HE TURNED TO GO BACK TO HIS CAR. THAT'S WHEN HE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE CRASH. HE CALLED 911 AND THE PASSENGER ALSO CALLED 911. BOTH OCCUPANTS HAD SERIOUS INJURIES BUT SURVIVED.  TEMPERATURE AT TIME OF DEPARTURE WAS REPORTED TO BE 85 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ALTIMETER SETTING WAS APPROXIMATELY 29.94, NEAR STANDARD. ALTITUDE DENSITY AT THE TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND 4000 FEET MSL AND IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PRIMARY FACTOR ALONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT LOAD.  MOST BAGGAGE WAS REMOVED, BUT NOT ALL. REMOVED BAGGAGE WAS WEIGHED AT THE CHELAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AT ABOUT 40 POUNDS. ESTIMATE ABOUT 5 POUNDS OF ITEMS LEFT IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. PILOT WEIGHS ABOUT 170 POUNDS, PASSENGER ABOUT 150 POUNDS. PAYLOAD WITHOUT FUEL CALCULATED AT ABOUT 365 POUNDS. MINIMUM FUEL IS LISTED IN WEIGHT AND BALANCE REPORT AS 12 GALLONS, ABOUT 75 POUNDS (TOTAL ABOUT 440 POUNDS).  HOWEVER, ACTUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL ONBOARD AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF IS NOT KNOWN. AFTER THE CRASH, FUEL WAS MEASURED IN THE RIGHT TANK (SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL SIDE) AT JUST OVER AN INCH. THE LEFT TANK DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY FUEL IN IT. THE CENTER TANK GAS CAP HAD COME OFF AT SOME POINT AND THERE WAS VERY LITTLE FUEL IN THAT TANK. THE PASSENGER WAS REPORTED TO BE SPLASHED WITH GASOLINE, WHICH IS LIKELY TO HAVE HAPPENED WHEN THE FRONT TANK CAP CAME OFF AND THE TOP OF THE CANOPY DEPARTED THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRCRAFT HAD ORIGINALLY FLOWN IN TWO DAYS PRIOR FROM PAE CARRYING ONLY THE PILOT, WITH UNKNOWN FUEL CONSUMPTION FOR THAT FLIGHT. FUEL IS NOT AVAILABLE AT 27W.WEIGHT AND BALANCE REPORT TAPED TO THE INSIDE WALL OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT STATES USEFUL LOAD AT 571.6 POUNDS. REPORT CALLS THE AIRCRAFT A 415D MODEL, WHILE THE AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE SHOWS IT IS A 415C. AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A C-85 ENGINE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

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.

- [NTSB WPR10LA411](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA411), Aug 18, 2010: Ercoupe 415 (N2368H), Leavenworth, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to adequately evaluate the airport and its environment in relation to the aircraft’s performance, which resulted in the airplane's failure to attain sufficient altitude to clear…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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