- Date
- August 14, 1985, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Del Mar, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3431HErcoupe Ercoupe 415-C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850814038769A
- Case key
- 35946
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt was reposition the acft at the request of the new owner who was not a rated plt. While climbing thru 2000 ft AGL the plt reported hearing the engine growl and felt a loss of power. During a precautionary descent the engine seized and the plt made a forced landing in a corn field. Inspection of the engine revealed two siezed pistons and heat damage throughout the engine. The two remaining cylinders that were not damaged appeared to have been recently replaced without the appropriate logbook notations. The acft had been purchased two weeks prior to the accident and the seller refused to fly the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3431H
- Reported as
- Ercoupe Ercoupe 415-C (ERCOUPE 41)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4056
- Airframe hours
- 1,800
- Engine
- Continental C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John Borst
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1985 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- SCH · Schenectady, NY
- Destination
- 4B0 · South Bethlehem, NY
- Airport
- Unknown
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 616 total · 350 in this make and model · 582 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 70 °F
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 N3431H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.