- Date
- August 5, 1992, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Dunsmuir, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N99585Ercoupe 415C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920805029059A
- Case key
- 27718
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 failure to perform any preflight planning or preparation and selected the wrong runway. Factors relating to this accident was the existing tailwind, high density altitude.
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 private pilot took off from an upslope runway with a 4 knot tailwind with a heavily loaded airplane. The aircraft used all but a 100 feet of the runway to lift off. The aircraft failed to climb after it lifted off and collided with a large fir tree about a quarter of a mile from the departure end of the runway. Examination of the wreckage disclosed no evidence of any preexisting malfunctions or failures. Investigators found the throttle in the full power position and the mixture control in the full rich position. The density altitude was 5,900 feet mean sea level and the runway's gradient was a plus 1.11 percent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99585
- Reported as
- Ercoupe 415C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2208
- Airframe hours
- 3,002
- Engine
- Continental C-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ryan, Terry W.
- Registered owner
- Ryan, Terry W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 26, 1991 · 60 hours before
- Destination
- Q17 · Booneville, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 1O6 · Dunsmuir-Mott Municipal, runway 32, 2,700 × 60 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 60 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.