- Date
- May 23, 1988, 20:27 local (May 24, 1988, 00:27 UTC)
- Place
- Whiteville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N41886Ercoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880523022559A
- Case key
- 7768
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student plt reported that the engine began to skip and lose pwr about 20 minutes after departure. The engine subsequently lost all pwr and the student made a forced ldg in a plowed field. The airplane nosed over during the ldg. Post-crash exam of the airplane revealed the presence of about 2 oz of water in the fuel strainer. In addition, bits of metal were found in the carburetor in the main metering jet passageway. The source of the metal bits could not be determined. The metal bits were too large too have passed through the fuel strainer or the carb filter screen. The airplane was fueled w/ auto gas which was obtained at the departure arpt. The use of autogas in the airplane was stc-approved. The airplane had been operated approx 123 hrs since the last annual inspection, 7 months before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41886
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 116
- Airframe hours
- 2,323
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bennie J. Ward
- Registered owner
- Ward, Bennie J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 16, 1987 · 123 hours before
- Departed
- 60J · Ocean Isle Bch, NC
- Destination
- CPC · Whiteville, NC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 37 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.