- Date
- August 29, 1993, 11:42 local (17:42 UTC)
- Place
- Palisade, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N522BKErcoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 1, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930829035049A
- Case key
- 11105
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
Partial power loss during approach for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
While on approach, at the completion of a flight a from a local airport to the pilot's private airstrip, the engine lost partial power and the pilot conducted a forced landing short of his destination. No mechanical failure or malfunction could be identified and the amount of fuel on board at the time of the accident could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On August 29, 1993, at 1142 mountain daylight time, a Ercoupe 415-C, N522BK, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a field, while on approach to a private airstrip near Palisade, Colorado. The private pilot received minor injuries, and his passenger no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this local area personal flight and no flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot, during the approach to his private airstrip, the engine decelerated to approximately 2,000 rpm and he could not remain airborne. During landing roll, following the forced landing, the nose gear collapsed and the forward part of the fuselage was damaged.
Examination of the aircraft by FAA personnel failed to disclose any mechanical failure or malfunction. The amount of fuel on board the aircraft at the time of the accident could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N522BK
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1490
- Airframe hours
- 1,175
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kibler, Ralph & Betty
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 1992 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- GJC · Grand Junction, CO
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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 366 total · 272 in this make and model · 366 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.