- Date
- July 2, 1989, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ennis, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3246HErcoupe 415C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890702018909A
- Case key
- 17732
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
The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
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 plt & a passenger were flying in a spot landing contest. The plt said the acft stalled on final apch & fell aprx 50 ft in a left wing low attitude. During touchdown, the nose gear collapsed, then the plane cartwheeled & came to rest with damage to the left wing, propeller, fuselage & rudder. The plt said he should have paid more attention to the airspeed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3246H
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3871
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Smith, Walter, J
- Departed
- 5U3
- Destination
- 5U3
- Airport
- 5U3 · Big Sky, runway 16, 5,280 × 125 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 247 in this make and model · 263 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.