- Date
- May 26, 2002, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hinton, OK
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N99044Ercoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020526009739A
- Case key
- 54770
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
Fuel exhaustion due to a fuel cap leak. A contributing 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
During cruise flight, the pilot observed that the center fuel tank quantity gauge indicated "zero." The pilot looked at the left wing filler cap and observed fuel siphoning out of the tank. Subsequently, the engine lost power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to pasture. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a two-foot deep four-foot wide ditch. Examination of the aircraft revealed visible evidence of fuel siphoning from the fuel filler cap to the wing trailing edge was found. The fuel cap was found secured and no anomalies were noted.
Factual narrative
On May 26, 2002, at 1300 central daylight time, an Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C single-engine airplane, N99044, was substantially damaged when it impacted a ditch during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Hinton, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The private pilot sustained a serious injury and the passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from Anadarko, Oklahoma, at 1200.
The 170-hour pilot reported to an FAA inspector that while in cruise flight, he noted that the center fuel tank quantity gauge indicated "zero." He then looked at the left wing fuel filler cap and observed fuel siphoning out of the tank. Subsequently, the engine lost power, and he executed a forced landing to a pasture. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a ditch, two-foot deep and four-foot wide.
An examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the nose landing gear was separated from the aircraft, the left wing partially separated, and the right wing was bent. Visible evidence of fuel siphoning from the fuel filler cap to the wing trailing edge was found. The fuel cap was found secured and no anomalies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99044
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1667
- Airframe hours
- 2,495.62
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- F68 · Anadarko, OK
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 170 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 13, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.