# NTSB CEN18LA034: Ercoupe 415 CD, N3067H, Aurora, CO, November 20, 2017 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 20, 2017, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Aurora, CO - Coordinates: 39.565834, -104.657775 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5658&lon=-104.6578&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 9, 2018 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 96347 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN18LA034 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/96347/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=96347 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA034 ## Probable cause The failure of the engine-driven fuel pump and the pilot's failure to identify the pump's failure, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane hit obstacles. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine fuel and control: fuel pump](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01057314): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Failure (probable cause) - [Info processing/decision: identification/recognition](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause) - [Object/animal/substance: fence/fence post](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022047): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome - [Object/animal/substance: sign/marker](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022015): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome ## Analysis While the commercial pilot was maneuvering the airplane during a local flight, the engine lost total power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he made a forced landing to a nearby road. After landing, the pilot saw a car on the road and attempted to turn the airplane to the right; however, the airplane's right wing impacted a road sign and a barbed wire fence. Postaccident testing revealed that the engine-driven fuel pump was not functional; thus, the fuel contained in the main tanks could not be transferred to the header tank. Therefore, the loss of engine power was likely the result of fuel starvation after the available fuel in the header tank had been depleted. Although the airplane was equipped with a header tank fuel gauge, the pilot failed to identify that the fuel level in the header tank was decreasing prematurely. ## Factual narrative On November 20, 2017, about 1230 mountain standard time, an Ercoupe 415-CD airplane, N3067H, had an inflight loss of engine power near Aurora, Colorado. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted a sign and fence. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Centennial Airport (APA), near Denver, Colorado, about 1200.The pilot indicated in his accident report that the flight departed from runway 17L and he climbed out to the east. He reported that there was no turbulence through 7,000 ft above mean sea level (msl). He performed a "Lazy 8" maneuver over County Line Road and was turning west when the engine lost power. The airplane was at about 7,500 ft msl at the time. The pilot reported that he attempted to restart the engine; however, after several unsuccessful attempts he began to look for a suitable landing area. The pilot noted that the surrounding terrain consisted of hills, and that he elected to land on the nearby County Line Road. The pilot reported that during landing roll he observed a car on the road and attempted to turn the airplane to the right; however, the airplane's right wing impacted a road sign, continued through a barbed wire fence, and came to a stop about 40 yards off the road. At 1153, the recorded weather at APA was: Wind calm; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition few clouds at 8,000 ft, few clouds at 12,000 ft, broken clouds 22,000 ft; temperature 16° C; dew point -14° C; altimeter 29.84 inches of mercury. The conditions present were not conducive to the formation of carburetor icing. The pilot subsequently sold the airplane to a party who collects Ercoupes before an examination of the fuel pump could be completed. The Ercoupe collector reported that he removed the mechanical fuel pump from the engine, and as he moved the pump's lever arm up-and-down the pump did not produce a suction at the pump inlet. Additionally, the pump appeared to be very old and exhibited excessive wear on the lever arm that operated on the cam inside the engine. The mechanical fuel pump normally transfers fuel from the main fuel tanks to the fuselage header tank, which in turn provides fuel to the carburetor via gravity. The airplane was not equipped with an electric fuel pump. In the event of a mechanical fuel pump failure, normal engine operation is sustained until the fuselage header tank becomes fully depleted. A fuel gauge, visible to the pilot, was incorporated into the fuselage header fuel tank cap. The fuel system description in the Ercoupe instruction manual indicates that "when the fuselage tank fuel gauge starts dropping, gas is no longer being pumped from wing tanks." An excerpt on the fuel system from the instruction manual is appended tothe docket material associated with this investigation. The pilot's safety recommendations were that it would be good to have a fuel flow indicator or light to show lack of flow from the wing tank to the header tank, it would be good to have a reliable fuel quantity indicator in the header tank, and that it would be good to install an electric back-up fuel pump between the wing tanks and header tank. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3067H](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3067H), registered now, S/N 3692, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ERCOUPE 415 CD - Registry model: [Ercoupe 415-CD](https://openairdocs.org/model/ercoupe-415-cd) (registry code 0420324) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C85 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (registry code 17008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 3692 - Year built: 1946 - Engines: CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES 85 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: APA, DENVER, CO - Destination: APA, DENVER, CO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 81; injuries: none; sport pilot, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: sport pilot; last flight review April 2, 2016; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 1,852 total, 182 in this make and model, 1,532 as pilot in command, 1.1 in the last 90 days, 0.4 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 22,000 ft broken - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 7 °F - Altimeter: 29.84 inHg - Observed at: KAPA, 9 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20171120019559A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171120019559A), Nov 20, 2017: Ercoupe 415-CD, Elizibeth, CO, Substantial damage. On November 20, 2017 during VMC weather conditions at 7,500 MSL. The engine quit and pilot landed on a county road near Elizibeth, CO. The pilot veered… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 8, 2018, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=96347. 1.2 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 755 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459858&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 2, .PDF, 45 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459859&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF - Miscellaneous Information - Icing Chart (item 3, .PDF, 137 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459860&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Miscellaneous%20Information%20-%20Icing%20Chart-Master.PDF - Memorandum for Record - Communication Summary - Vernon Gregory (item 4, .PDF, 63 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459861&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record%20-%20Communication%20Summary%20-%20Vernon%20Gregory-Master.PDF - Photo - View of the disassembled fuel pump (Supplied by V. Gregory) (item 5, .PDF, 1 photo, 143 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459862&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%20-%20View%20of%20the%20disassembled%20fuel%20pump%20(Supplied%20by%20V.%20Gregory)-Master.PDF - Miscellaneous Information - Fuel System (item 6, .PDF, 77 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40459863&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Miscellaneous%20Information%20-%20Fuel%20System-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.