WPR24LA158

The accident flight was the non-certificated pilot's first flight in the airplane, which the pilot had recently purchased and taken possession of on the day of the accident. The airplane was on a steep approach as the pilot attempted to land and hit an approach light short of the runway threshold. The airplane then bounced and struck another set of lights before landing hard on the runway. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest on the runway and a postimpact fire ensued. A witness who arrived at the scene of the accident stated that the pilot told him that he had misjudged the landing. A witness reported that the pilot conducted a steep approach to land, consistent with an unstable approach. The airplane was not available for examination following the accident, and whether a mechanical anomaly contributed to the accident could not be determined. The investigation was unable to determine the extent of the non-certificated pilot’s previous flight experience or whether the pilot had received any formal or informal flight instruction.

On May 21, 2024, about 1215 Pacific daylight time, an Engineering & Research Ercoupe 415-C airplane, N99577, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Ontario, Oregon. The non-certificated pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A certified flight instructor who was in an airplane holding short of runway 15 reported that the airplane was on a steep approach as it attempted to land and struck an approach light short of the runway threshold. The airplane then bounced and struck another set of lights before landing hard on the runway. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest on the runway, and a postimpact fire ensued. The airplane sustained substantial thermal damage to the fuselage, and the pilot sustained serious burn injuries. Another witness who arrived at the scene of the accident stated that the pilot told him that he had misjudged the landing. Subsequently, the airplane was destroyed in a postaccident fire. The wreckage was removed from the runway but was disposed of before the airframe and engine could be examined by the FAA or NTSB. The pilot was not a certificated pilot and did not hold a current FAA medical certificate, nor did he have a current medical; the FAA reported that he was denied a medical certificate about six years before the accident. Multiple attempts were made to contact the pilot; however, those attempts were unsuccessful while the pilot was recovering in a burn unit and under anesthesia. The pilot did not provide a statement to the FAA or NTSB after he was released from the hospital, nor did the pilot submit a National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.