Summary
On August 16, 1997, a Ercoupe (eng & Research Corp.) 415-C (N2237H) was involved in an incident near Siler City, NC. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing, inaccurate weather evaluation by the pilot, and his poor in-flight planning decision for descending too low to read a road sign.
On August 16, 1997, about 1643 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N2237H, registered to a private individual, collided with an unmarked span guy wire near Siler City, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight originated about 1500, from the Shiflet Field Airport, Marion, North Carolina.
The pilot did not obtain a formal weather briefing before departure and stated that shortly after takeoff, his passenger noted fuel spray coming from the right fuel tank fuel cap. About 20-30 minutes later, the fuel tank sight indicator was indicating 1/4 tank capacity remaining.
This incident is documented in NTSB report MIA97LA234. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2237H.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing, inaccurate weather evaluation by the pilot, and his poor in-flight planning decision for descending too low to read a road sign.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 16, 1997, about 1643 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N2237H, registered to a private individual, collided with an unmarked span guy wire near Siler City, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight originated about 1500, from the Shiflet Field Airport, Marion, North Carolina.
The pilot did not obtain a formal weather briefing before departure and stated that shortly after takeoff, his passenger noted fuel spray coming from the right fuel tank fuel cap. About 20-30 minutes later, the fuel tank sight indicator was indicating 1/4 tank capacity remaining. He elected to divert to the Asheboro Airport to determine the reason for the problem, but he was unable to locate the airport due to his wind overcorrection. He then elected to fly to the Siler City airport but while looking for landmarks, he noted a nearby highway that he thought he recognized. He intentionally descended to note the markings on a highway sign, but collided with an unmarked span guy wire which was between 28 and 36 feet above ground level. The airplane then veered to the left and collided with and remained suspended in the trees that border the highway.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA97LA234