- Date
- July 28, 1991, 12:55 local (19:55 UTC)
- Place
- Rubidoux, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N94385Ercoupe 415C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910728030189A
- Case key
- 27018
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 mechanic's improper installation of the magnetos and the pilot's failure to maintain flying speed. Factors related to this accident are the pilot's inadvertent stall and the residential area.
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
The pilot was departing the airport on a local VFR maintenance test flight. The airport is situated in a highly congested area with a tree line at the end of the runway. The airplane had just been restored and this was the first flight in 19 years. Witnesses reported that shortly after lift-off the airplane's engine began to backfire and then quit. The airplane entered into a right bank, stalled and crashed into a residence's backyard. The investigation revealed that both magneto hold-down nuts were loose and the engine timing could not be determined. The left magneto would only produce spark in one lead and the right magneto would not fire when their respective drive were hand rotated. The magnetos operated normally when tested without the engine's ignition harness.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94385
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1608
- Airframe hours
- 1,316
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- George Willard
- Registered owner
- Schroeder, Robert J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 17, 1991 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- RIR · Flabob, runway 24, 3,200 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.