# NTSB LAX02LA270: Ercoupe 415-C, N87204, Fresno, CA, August 31, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 31, 2002, 10:25 local (17:25 UTC) - Place: Fresno, CA - Coordinates: 36.884445, -119.815277 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.8844&lon=-119.8153&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 55621 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX02LA270 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55621/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02LA270 ## Probable cause a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, descent - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - object - pole ## Analysis The airplane made an off field landing and collided with poles following a loss of engine power. An annual inspection had just been completed on the airplane and the purpose of the flight was to check the airplane out. Upon returning to the airport the engine began to run rough and lose power. During the attempted landing on a road the left wing hit a pole and the airplane began to weave. The airplane hit another pole and departed the road into soft dirt. The main landing gear dug into the soft dirt and the prop nosed into the ground. Both wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. A post accident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies, and it test ran successfully to 2,000 rpm. ## Factual narrative On August 31, 2002, about 1025 Pacific daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N87204, made an off airport landing following a loss of engine power about 5 miles southeast of Fresno, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot was not injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed Chandler Airport (CHD) in Fresno about 1015. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated that an annual inspection had just been completed on the airplane, and he was taking the owner up to check the airplane out. They added about 10 gallons of gasoline to the airplane and departed. They were returning to CHD, and the engine began to run rough and lose power. They decided to land on a road. The touchdown was on the road's centerline. However, the left wing hit a pole, and the airplane began to weave. The airplane hit another pole and departed the road into soft dirt. The main landing gear dug into the soft dirt, and the prop nosed into the ground. Both wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector supervised the examination of the engine. The fuel screens were clean and the carburetor box was clear. Fuel was present in the carburetor bowl. Maintenance technicians removed the top spark plugs from each cylinder. All gaps were similar and none of the plugs exhibited any mechanical damage. Technicians rotated the engine and obtained spark from each magneto in firing order. The accessory gears turned freely. None of the valves or cylinders exhibited internal mechanical damage. They rotated the engine, and the valves moved in firing order with the same amount of relative lift. The fuel lines were clear; no contamination was present. Technicians supplied a temporary fuel supply to the right wing supply line. The engine successfully ran smoothly to 2,000 rpm. It was not prudent to run at a higher rpm due to prop and nose gear damage. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N87204](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N87204-2003-08-13), registration cancelled 2003-08-13, S/N 377, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C - Registry model: [Engineering & Research 415-C](https://openairdocs.org/model/engineering-research-415-c) (registry code 0420302) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C75 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c75-series) (registry code 17005, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 377 - Airframe hours: 1425 - Engines: Continental C-85 85 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Floyd C. Stewart - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 23, 2002, 18 hours before - Departed: FCH, FRESNO, CA - Airport: FCH, Fresno Chandler Downtown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 66; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review January 26, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 730 total, 4 in this make and model, 572 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 8 knots - Visibility: 9 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 86 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: FAT, 6 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020831024519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020831024519A), Aug 31, 2002: Univar 415C, Fresno, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) On 08-31-02 at approximately 1020 hours PDT, Mr. Richard earl bain, a private pilot, was acting as pilot in command of aircraft N87204, an Ercoupe 415-C,… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.