- Date
- February 8, 1993, 11:06 local (15:06 UTC)
- Place
- Aguadilla, PR
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7555CForney Ercoupe F-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930208001869A
- Case key
- 33177
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
Excessive elevator control input by an unknown occupant at an airspeed above maneuvering speed which caused both forward wing spars to fail. Contributing to the accident was fuel exhaustion due to poor in flight planning/decision by the pilot-in-command and his lack of total experience.
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 day before the accident flt, 12 gallons of fuel was added to the fuel tanks & the airplane was flown three times. The accident flight departed with an unknown quantity of fuel & while maneuvering, the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. During the emergency descent, one of the two occupants applied full up elevator control at an airspeed above maneuvering speed (VA) which caused both forward wing spars to fail in the positive direction. The airplane descended near vertical and impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. Exam of the airplane at the accident site revealed no evidence of flight control preimpact failure or malfunction. Exam of the fuel system revealed no evidence of fuel. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surfaces of the wing spars revealed no evidence of preexisting cracks or corrosion. The airplane had been operated for approximately 30 minutes since departure. The student plt in the left seat was the only occupant who was authorized to fly the airplane. No determination could be made as to why the private pilot rated passenger was in the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7555C
- Reported as
- Forney Ercoupe F-1 (ERCOUPE F-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5672
- Engine
- Continental C90-12F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Giles, Garred A.
- Registered owner
- Giles, Garred A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 7, 1992 · 63 hours before
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MAZ, 9 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.
Other investigations on N7555C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.