- Date
- May 5, 1991, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- King City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N99893Ercoupe 415C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910505014279A
- Case key
- 27192
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 total loss of engine power which resulted from the drain valve fitting on a newly installed gascolator dislodging during cruise flight.
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
While cruising during a personal flight the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot made a forced landing in a dirt field, and during rollout nosed over. The examination of the engine revealed that the drain valve fitting in the gascolator was missing. It had probably become dislodged during the accident flight. The pilot reported that the gascolator was new and provided records indicating that it had been installed 7 operational hours prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99893
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2516
- Airframe hours
- 1,991
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald W. Woollard
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 11, 1991 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- KIC · King City, CA
- Destination
- PRB · Paso Robles, CA
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 60 in this make and model · 340 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.