# Accident 20121129028169A: Ercoupe 415-C, Blair, NE, November 29, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 29, 2012, 17:15 local time
- Place: Blair, NE
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.9092° N, 96.2239° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9092&lon=-96.2239&mi=10
- Aircraft: N720RC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N720RC-2013-03-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Ercoupe 415-C (registry code 0420322, https://openairdocs.org/model/ercoupe-415-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental C85 series (registry code 17008, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ERCOUPE 415-C
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 5,000 total, 26 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN13FA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA081) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121129028169A

## Narrative

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

ON NOVEMBER 29, 2012, AT 1715 PM CDT, AN ERCOUPE 415-C, N720RC, WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT AN AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP IN BLAIR, NEBRASKA.  THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM THE SCRIBNER STATE AIRFIELD (KSCB), SCRIBNER, NEBRASKA, ON A LOCAL FLIGHT OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91.  THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS EXERCISING SPORT PILOT PRIVILEGES DURING THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT AND WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT.  50 MINUTES AFTER THE PILOT DEPARTED KSCB, WHILE ON A NORTHERLY HEADING, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES THAT PASS OVER THE DEALERSHIP?S NEW PICKUP TRUCK LOT.  TWO POWER LINES WERE HIT BY N720RC, WHICH TORE THE OUTER THREE FEET OF THE RIGHT WING TIP OFF THE AIRCRAFT.  POWER LINES ALSO TORE THE RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE LANDING GEAR FROM THE AIRCRAFT.  THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO FOUR PICKUP TRUCKS LOCATED 130 FEET FROM THE FIRST IMPACT WITH THE POWER LINES.  THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON A 087 DEGREE HEADING WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT IN A 60 DEGREE DOWNWARD ATTITUDE.  THE PILOT WAS FOUND DECEASED AT THE CRASH SITE.  NO PERSONS WERE HARMED ON THE GROUND AT THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.  TEN PICKUP TRUCKS RECEIVED DAMAGE, FOUR OF WHICH HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.  THE TWO POWER LINES THAT WERE HIT BY THE AIRCRAFT WERE DAMAGED, BUT DID NOT BREAK.  TRANSMISSION POLES NEAR THE DAMAGED WIRES MAY HAVE ALSO RECEIVED DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 CEN13FA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA081), Nov 29, 2012: Ercoupe 415-C (N720RC), Blair, NE, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's loss of control due to physical incapacitation.

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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