- Date
- May 26, 1990, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pineora, GA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3261HErcoupe Ercoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900526017519A
- Case key
- 8242
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Control interference by the passenger when the throttle was retarded and the pilot's failure to intervene because of his diverted attention.
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 pilot reported that after take off, at about 50 feet, the passenger inadvertently retarded the throttle. He also stated that he was taking pictures with a camcorder. While the pilot's attention was diverted the airplane lost airspeed, descended, and collided with trees and underbrush at the end of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3261H
- Reported as
- Ercoupe Ercoupe 415-C (ERCOUPE 41)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3886
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert L. Becton
- Airport
- NONE · Helmeys Airstrip, runway 36, 2,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Flight hours
- 2,300 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAV, 14 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.