Summary
On August 14, 2015, a Ercoupe 415 C (N93606) was involved in an accident near Fairmont, WV. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the wing's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with terrain.
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff he noticed that there was no movement on the header tank fuel float gauge. He went on to say that the fuel float gauge then started to move "down quickly", and since he still had the airport insight, he decided to turn back and conduct a precautionary landing. As he approached for landing he "raised" the nose of the airplane to slow down; but became "too low and too slow" and the airplane collided with a road adjacent to the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Examination of the fuel float gauge by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any anomalies.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA15CA317. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N93606.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the wing's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with terrain.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff he noticed that there was no movement on the header tank fuel float gauge. He went on to say that the fuel float gauge then started to move "down quickly", and since he still had the airport insight, he decided to turn back and conduct a precautionary landing. As he approached for landing he "raised" the nose of the airplane to slow down; but became "too low and too slow" and the airplane collided with a road adjacent to the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Examination of the fuel float gauge by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any anomalies. In addition, the pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA15CA317