- Date
- September 21, 2020, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Kingston, RI · Solar panel field
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3000GErcoupe F 1
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel contamination
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200921019279A
- Case key
- 102009
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 pilot’s failure to conduct a proper preflight inspection and ensure the fuel was uncontaminated, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and forced landing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Shortly after takeoff, during initial climb out, the pilot noted a decrease in engine performance and that the airplane was unable to climb or maintain altitude. After unsuccessfully attempting to troubleshoot the issue, he performed a forced landing in field that was populated by solar panels. During the landing the airplane struck several of the solar panels, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system revealed the presence of water and other contaminates in the gascolator, carburetor bowl, carburetor inlet screen, and engine-driven fuel pump. The examination did not otherwise discover evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that while he performed his preflight inspection, which included sampling fuel from the airplane’s the header fuel tank, he historically always had difficulty with water in the fuel, specifically from the header tank and gascolator. Given this information it is likely that the partial loss of engine power the pilot experienced during the climb was due to contamination of the engine’s fuel supply with water and debris.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3000G
- Reported as
- Ercoupe F 1 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5692
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 4,426
- Engine
- Continental C90-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 2019 · 55 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 08R · Richmond Airport West Kingston
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B
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
- 70
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 24, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,229 total · 287 in this make and model · 1,132 as pilot in command · 13.5 in the last 90 days · 7.9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.47 inHg
- Observed at
- WST, 12 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.