# NTSB SEA06LA188: Ercoupe 415-C, N3233H, Trenton, FL, September 23, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 23, 2006, 10:15 local (14:15 UTC) - Place: Trenton, FL - Coordinates: 29.692222, -82.729164 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6922&lon=-82.7292&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report March 26, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Tampa FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 64585 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA06LA188 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/64585/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA06LA188 ## Probable cause A partial loss of engine power just after takeoff due to water contamination of the auto fuel added to the aircraft fuel system just prior to the flight. Factors include the pilot's inadequate preflight, no suitable landing area near the departure end of the runway, and trees along the flight path between the point where the aircraft lost power and the open field the pilot was trying to reach. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - nonmechanical, takeoff - initial climb - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (contributing factor) - fluid,fuel - contamination,water (cause) - In flight collision with object, emergency landing after takeoff - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - object - tree(s) (contributing factor) ## Analysis After takeoff, when the airplane was about 20 feet above the ground, the engine surged between full power and almost no power. The airplane began to descend and the pilot attempted to maneuver toward an open field. However, before reaching the field one of the airplane's wings collided with a tree and the airplane cartwheeled into the terrain. A post-accident engine run and inspection found no failures or anomalies, but it was later determined that the pilot had introduced water-contaminated auto fuel into the aircraft's fuel system immediately prior to the flight. Although the airplane had an approved Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to allow it to be run on auto fuel, the pilot did not rock the wings or allow any time for any water introduced along with the auto fuel to flow through the system to the low point before draining fuel from the low point sump. The water contamination in the auto fuel made its way through the system during taxi for takeoff, and eventually reached the carburetor just after the airplane lifted off. ## Factual narrative On September 23, 2006, approximately 1015 eastern daylight time, an Engineering & Research Ercoupe 415-C, N3233H, collided with a tree after experiencing a loss of power during the initial climb-out after takeoff from a private airstrip about eight miles north of Trenton, Florida. The private pilot, who was undergoing a flight review, and the certified flight instructor who was giving the flight review, received minor injuries. The aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR Part 91 proficiency evaluation flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to both pilots, soon after takeoff, when the aircraft was about 20 feet above the ground, the engine started surging between full power and almost no power. As the aircraft began to descend, the pilot attempted to maneuver toward an open field, but before they could reach the field, one of the aircraft's wings collided with a tree, and the aircraft cartwheeled into the terrain. During a post-accident FAA-directed inspection, the engine was run extensively at speeds from idle to 2,200 rpm. It was run with the magneto switch in the BOTH position, and with the switch on each individual magneto. The engine was stopped and restarted a number of times during the test sequence, and it was run both with the carburetor heat off and in the full-on position. During the entire test sequence, the engine ran smooth and strong, with no evidence of any malfunction or anomaly. After the test run, the carburetor was disassembled and inspected, and there was no evidence of any component malfunction or any solid contamination. In further discussions with the pilot, it was determined that the aircraft has an approved Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to allow it to be run on auto fuel. It was further determined that just prior to the flight, the pilot topped off the fuel system with auto fuel that he purchased at a local gas station and transported to the aircraft in a five-gallon jug. Although the pilot filtered the fuel through a nylon cloth to remove any solid particles while putting it in the aircraft's tanks, the fuel was not checked for water contamination prior to being introduced to the aircraft's fuel system. Although the pilot detected no water in the fuel that he drained from the fuel system low point just after topping off the tanks, he did not rock the wings or allow any time for any water introduced along with the auto fuel to flow through the system to the low point. It was his opinion, as well as the opinion of his mechanic and the FAA inspector, that there had been water contamination in the auto fuel, and that the water did not make its way through the system and reach the carburetor until just after the aircraft took off. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3233H](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3233H), registered now, S/N 3858, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C - Registry model: [Engineering & Research 415-C](https://openairdocs.org/model/engineering-research-415-c) (registry code 0420302) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C75 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c75-series) (registry code 17005, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 3858 - Airframe hours: 1158 - Engines: Continental C-87-12 85 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Virgil L. Rush - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 1, 2006 - Departed: Trenton, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review August 1, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 800 total, 400 in this make and model, 8 in the last 90 days, 0 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours - Flight instructor; age 68; injuries: minor; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review June 1, 2006; seat: right; flight hours: 2,746 total, 20 in this make and model, 2,719 as pilot in command, 67 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 130° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20060923020009A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060923020009A), Sep 23, 2006: Univar 415C, Trenton, FL, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 23, 2006 at 10:15 local time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N3233H, registered to the pilot [privacy data omitted] collided with trees shortly after… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.