N2915H

On July 20, 1996, at 1654 hours mountain standard time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N2915H, collided with some high vegetation and the terrain after an in-flight loss of power near the Page, Arizona, airport. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot was not injured. The flight originated from the Kayenta Airport, Kayenta, Arizona, about 1600 hours. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.

The pilot indicated to the Page airport manager that the fuel transfer pump was inoperative and he was unable to transfer fuel from the wing tanks to the fuselage tank, which supplies fuel to the engine. The pilot departed Grants, New Mexico, earlier in the day and flew about 1 hour, landed, and transferred the fuel. He indicated that he had previously landed at Ganado, Arizona, and Kayenta, and planned to land at Page.

The pilot reported that he ran out of fuel and the plane lost power about 5 miles from the airport. The pilot landed on a narrow dirt road. The road cut through uneven terrain and the left wing struck vegetation on the higher shoulder of the road during the landing roll. The airplane veered left off the road and damaged the airplane's left wing and tail cone.