# NTSB WPR10LA343: Ercoupe 415, N87349, Whitehall, MT, July 9, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 9, 2010, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Whitehall, MT - Coordinates: 45.866664, -112.099998 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.8667&lon=-112.1000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 18, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: FAA FSDO - SAIBs cited in the narratives: [SAIB CE-09-35](https://openairdocs.org/saib/CE-09-35) (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB case key (mKey): 76587 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR10LA343 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76587/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76587 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA343 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Terrain: rough terrain](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021015): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome; cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021015/cases.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 442 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021015/cases.md) - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) - [Engine (reciprocating)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 497 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=0420316), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot departed for a local flight with all three fuel tanks full. After 30 minutes into the flight, he was returning for landing when the engine lost power. He made a forced landing in a field; the nose gear collapsed and the firewall sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination revealed that fuel was in the gascolator and carburetor. No anomalies were observed that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. ## Factual narrative On July 9, 2010, about 1500 mountain daylight time, an Ercoupe 415D, N87349, had the nose landing gear collapse during an off airport forced landing near Whitehall, Montana. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The certificated private pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage by impact forces. The local personal flight departed Whitehall about 1430. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported that he departed with all three tanks full. He was returning for landing when the engine lost power. He made a forced landing in a field; the nose gear collapsed, and the firewall sustained substantial damage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The gascolator was full of fuel, and it smelled like automotive fuel (the owner indicated in a written statement that the fuel was a combination of 100LL avgas and automotive fuel). A Safety Board investigator and the FAA inspector examined the airframe and engine at a recovery yard. They removed the top spark plugs; all plugs were clean with no mechanical deformation. The electrodes were gray, which corresponded to normal operation according to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart. A borescope inspection revealed no mechanical deformation on the valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head, and no discoloration on internal components. Investigators manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller. The crankshaft rotated freely, and the valves moved approximately the same amount of lift. The gears in the accessory case turned freely, and they obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. Investigators manually rotated the magnetos, and both magnetos produced spark at all posts. The fuel system consists of two wing tanks and a fuselage header tank in front of the cockpit. Examination revealed that the fuel screens contained small amounts of contaminants. The fuel selector valve was unobstructed, and the port opened and closed freely. The fuel system is vented through the header tank fuel cap; no obstructions were identified. Oil was in the valve covers. Oil was drained from the oil sump, and the screen examined. It contained small pieces of red material; no other evidence of this contaminant was identified during the inspection. The investigators obtained continuity between the cockpit throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat controls to the carburetor and carburetor heat door. They removed and disassembled the carburetor. The bowl was full of fuel, the vent was free from obstruction, the metal floats were intact, and the needle moved freely. Examination of the induction system showed no blockage. The meteorological conditions fell outside the range of probability for carburetor icing according to a chart in Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-35. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N87349](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N87349), registered now, S/N 522, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ERCOUPE 415 (D) - Registry model: [Engineering & Research ERCOUPE 415-D](https://openairdocs.org/model/engineering-research-ercoupe-415-d) (registry code 0420316) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C75 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c75-series) (registry code 17005, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 522 - Airframe hours: 1400 - Engines: Teledyne Continental Mortors C75 75 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Michael Harrison - Registered owner: Michael Harrison - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2010, 6 hours before - Departed: Whitehall, MT - Destination: Whitehall, MT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review July 6, 2010; seat: left; flight hours: 264 total, 200 in this make and model, 187 as pilot in command, 6 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 109 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: KBIL, 52 nm away ## Other investigations on N87349 (1) 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. - [NTSB WPR09CA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09CA110), Feb 4, 2009: Ercoupe 415D (N87349), Whitehall, MT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his failure to abort the landing. ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76587. 604 KB in all. - Pilot Statement (item 1, .PDF, 26 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341988&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Record of Converstion with Pilot (item 2, .PDF, 58 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40342735&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Converstion%20with%20Pilot-Master.PDF - NTSB Wreckage Exam Summary with 5 Embedded Photos (item 3, .PDF, 521 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40342737&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=NTSB%20Wreckage%20Exam%20Summary%20with%205%20Embedded%20Photos-Master.PDF 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.