- Date
- March 7, 1992, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Whitehouse, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N94063Ercoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920307005199A
- Case key
- 18453
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 inadequate preflight inspection and the engine power loss due to fuel contamination with water. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available 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
A pilot was in cruise flight when the engine lost power. The pilot executed a forced landing straight ahead. Impact was made with the top of trees about 300 feet short of the intended landing area. The FAA coordinator found water and rust in the fuel system gascolator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94063
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1386
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ed Petty/Jerry Gardner
- Registered owner
- Ed Petty/Jerry Gardner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 30, 1991
- Departed
- F12 · Henderson, TX
- Destination
- TYR · Tyler, TX
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 50 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYR, 23 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.