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20220126000869I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Ercoupe 415-C · Easton, MD · January 26, 2022

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 26, 2022 · 15:15 local
Place
Easton, MD
Airport
Easton/Newnam
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N99529
Reported as
Ercoupe 415-C
Reported engine
Continental C85
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
585 total
N99529Registered now · Ercoupe 415-CS/N 2152 · Built 1946Airframe modelErcoupe 415-CEngine modelContinental A&C75 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot heard a popping noise then a loud bang, followed by engine rotation stopping. He successfully landed in an open field with minor damage to the aircraft.

The aircraft engine was examined and one of the piston connecting rods had broken between the piston wrist pin and crankshaft journal, with both of those attachments still intact. This had resulted in a hole in and cracking of the crank case and considerable internal damage.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT HEARD A POPPING NOISE THEN A LOUD BANG, FOLLOWED BY ENGINE ROTATION STOPPING. HE SUCCESSFULLY LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS EXAMINED AND ONE OF THE PISTON CONNECTING RODS HAD BROKEN BETWEEN THE PISTON WRIST PIN AND CRANKSHAFT JOURNAL, WITH BOTH OF THOSE ATTACHMENTS STILL INTACT. THIS HAD RESULTED IN A HOLE IN AND CRACKING OF THE CRANK CASE AND CONSIDERABLE INTERNAL DAMAGE.