N3093H – Ercoupe (ERCO) ERCOUPE 415-C – 2024-08-07 NTSB Accident Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 7, 2024, about 0800 central daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-C airplane, N3093H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Elkhart, Illinois. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

On August 6, 2024, the airplane departed Roben-Hood Airport (RQB), Big Rapids, Michigan, about 1700 and landed at Vermilion Regional Airport, Danville, Illinois, (DNV) later that evening. A fuel receipt confirmed that the pilot filled the airplane with 16.34 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel at DNV.

A friend of the pilot stated that the pilot called him on the evening of August 6 and told him that he was spending the night at DNV and would depart the morning of August 7 to embark on a multi-leg cross country flight that would terminate on August 8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When the pilot did not arrive in Colorado Springs, the friend reported him missing on August 10, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notice.

The airplane was not equipped with ADSB, nor did it have a transponder. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cell Phone Forensics Team reported that the last cell phone ping from the pilot’s cell phone was near Mount Pulaski, Illinois, at 0759 on August 7. An Illinois CAP aircrew was deployed from DuPage Airport (DPA), West Chicago, Illinois, to the Mount Pulaski area on August 10 and located the airplane wreckage near Elkhart, Illinois, about 11 nm west of Mount Pulaski and 87 nm west of DNV. At the time of the last annual inspection, the airplane was equipped with an ELT that transmitted on the emergency frequency of 121.5 MHz, but there was no ELT transmitting on that frequency at the time the airplane was located, nor was there evidence of an ELT transmitting in that area in the days before the airplane was located. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot was a 77-year-old male and did not hold a pilot certificate. He surrendered his commercial pilot certificate in 2012. The pilot was required to have at least a sport pilot certificate to operate the accident airplane. His last FAA medical examination was for a second-class medical in June 2016. At the time of that examination, the pilot reported his civil flight experience included 5,001 total hours and 38 hours in last six months and that he was not taking any medication. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe pilot purchased the airplane on August 6, 2024, the day before the accident. Logbook records revealed that the engine was overhauled in August 2023 and reinstalled in the airplane in October 2023. An annual inspection of the airframe, propeller, and engine was performed in October 2023. The previous owner made copies of logbook records dating back to 2016 and provided them for the investigation; however, the complete set of logbooks were destroyed in the accident. The mechanic who performed the most recent annual inspection confirmed that Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2002-16-04 was complied with. The actions specified by this AD were intended to prevent failure of the fuel line fittings or the gascolator and thus a lack of fuel to the engine.

According to the airplane’s pilot’s operating handbook, the airplane could hold 9 gallons of fuel in each wing tank and 6 gallons of fuel in the header tank for a total of 24 gallons of fuel. The airplane burned about 5.4 gallons of fuel per hour at cruise power. Normal operating speeds were 50 to 114 mph (43 to 99 kts).

Logbook records also revealed that, at the time of the last annual inspection, the ELT was tested and a new ELT battery pack (good until November 2025) was installed.

According to the mechanic who performed the annual inspection, the ELT was a Narco-10 ELT. The Narco-10 was an FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) C91 ELT. Since the TSO for C91 ELTs was issued in 1971, unsatisfactory performance associated with the TSO C91 ELT units included dislodgement from aircraft because of impact, inaccurate position determination because of wide frequency tolerance, inadequate requirements for case construction, and inadequate inertia switch design specifications that led to activation failure. In 1985, TSO C91a was issued to correct these deficiencies. However, the FAA permitted TSO C91 compliant ELTs to remain in use if they were tested annually. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe pilot purchased the airplane on August 6, 2024, the day before the accident. Logbook records revealed that the engine was overhauled in August 2023 and reinstalled in the airplane in October 2023. An annual inspection of the airframe, propeller, and engine was performed in October 2023. The previous owner made copies of logbook records dating back to 2016 and provided them for the investigation; however, the complete set of logbooks were destroyed in the accident. The mechanic who performed the most recent annual inspection confirmed that Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2002-16-04 was complied with. The actions specified by this AD were intended to prevent failure of the fuel line fittings or the gascolator and thus a lack of fuel to the engine.

According to the airplane’s pilot’s operating handbook, the airplane could hold 9 gallons of fuel in each wing tank and 6 gallons of fuel in the header tank for a total of 24 gallons of fuel. The airplane burned about 5.4 gallons of fuel per hour at cruise power. Normal operating speeds were 50 to 114 mph (43 to 99 kts).

Logbook records also revealed that, at the time of the last annual inspection, the ELT was tested and a new ELT battery pack (good until November 2025) was installed.

According to the mechanic who performed the annual inspection, the ELT was a Narco-10 ELT. The Narco-10 was an FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) C91 ELT. Since the TSO for C91 ELTs was issued in 1971, unsatisfactory performance associated with the TSO C91 ELT units included dislodgement from aircraft because of impact, inaccurate position determination because of wide frequency tolerance, inadequate requirements for case construction, and inadequate inertia switch design specifications that led to activation failure. In 1985, TSO C91a was issued to correct these deficiencies. However, the FAA permitted TSO C91 compliant ELTs to remain in use if they were tested annually. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane was found in a soybean field. The debris field was on an east to west heading and was about 140 ft long.

The main wreckage came to rest upright on a heading of about 030°, was burned, and consisted of the cockpit, fuselage, right landing gear, left wing, a portion of the right wing, empennage, engine, and propeller. The propeller was still attached to the crankshaft at the propeller flange and was largely intact. One propeller blade was straight and the other propeller blade was thermally damaged. The paint on the tip of the thermally damaged propeller blade melted, and the blade had a slight bend to it.

Control cable continuity was established from the control column to the right rudder and right elevator. The left elevator and left rudder were burned and could not be functionally tested. The right elevator contained the elevator trim tab, and it was in the full down (nose-up) position.

The left and right ailerons were still attached to their respective wings, and control continuity was established from the control column to both ailerons.

The fuel caps for the left and right fuel tanks were firmly attached. The right tank and the header tank were burned, and the left tank was compromised, so the fuel amount at the time of the accident could not be verified. The fuel shut-off valve that would have been located under the instrument panel could not be found in the wreckage, so its position could not be determined.

The accessory case melted off the back of the engine. Large pieces of melted metal were found in the debris, but they could not be directly attributed to the carburetor, fuel pump, or oil pump. The magnetos were melted and could not be functionally tested. The engine crankshaft would not rotate due to thermal damage and rust. The engine internal timing could not be determined due to rust and corrosion of the timing mark areas on the crankshaft and camshaft gears.

The ELT was not identified in the wreckage.

A trail of vegetation displacement extended about 18 ft northeast of the main wreckage to where first responders located the pilot. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONAn autopsy was performed by a forensic pathologist at the McLean County Coroner’s Office Regional Autopsy Facility, Bloomington, Illinois, under the authority of the Logan County Coroner. According to the autopsy report, the pilot’s cause of death was thermal burns. The report indicated that the pilot had burns over 80% of his body without soot or thermal injury identified in the airway.

The autopsy identified coronary artery disease, with an area of 65% narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and 30% narrowing of the right coronary artery.

The pilot’s autopsy also showed evidence of a prior stroke that affected a small area of the brain in the left basal ganglia. Severe degenerative joint disease of the spine was also identified. Hemorrhages, of the type that may be seen with hypothermia or certain other physiological stressors, were found within the lining of the stomach.

A toxicological report revealed positive results for gabapentin, ibuprofen, and salicylic acid in blood and urine. The gabapentin level in heart blood was 7750 ng/mL. Gabapentin is a prescription medication commonly used to treat nerve pain. It may also be used to treat certain types of seizures, restless legs syndrome, and other conditions. Gabapentin may cause sedation and dizziness and can impair coordination and performance of tasks such as operating motor vehicles and heavy machinery. The drug typically carries a warning that users may not be able to accurately assess how sleepy or impaired it makes them, and that they should not operate motor vehicles or complex machinery until they have gained enough experience to determine whether the drug impairs their ability to do so. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory medication that is widely available over the counter and commonly used to treat pain and fever. Salicylic acid is the primary active metabolite of aspirin, another widely available over-the-counter medication that can be used to control pain and fever, as well as to reduce cardiovascular risk. Salicylic acid is also a metabolite of some other drugs and is used as a topical skin exfoliant in a variety of retail products. Ibuprofen and aspirin/salicylic acid are not generally considered impairing. SURVIVAL ASPECTSA CAP representative stated that 2 to 6 hours usually elapse from the time they are notified of a transmitting ELT to the time an aircraft is found. The accident airplane was found about 1 hour after search and rescue was deployed. The CAP representative attributed the quick location of the airplane to the cell phone ping information they had.

According to the Logan County Sheriff Dispatch, if someone needs air medical services in Elkhart, Illinois, a medical helicopter is dispatched from either Peoria International Airport (PIA), Peoria, Illinois, or Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI), Springfield, Illinois. PIA was about 43 nm from the accident site and SPI was about 22 nm from the accident site. They would then be transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, which was the nearest Level 1 trauma center/burn center, located about 20 nm from the accident site.

The autopsy indicated that the pilot sustained burns to 80% of his body surface, without evidence of inhalation injury, nor was there any fatal blunt traumatic injury. Hemorrhages were present within the stomach lining of the type that may be seen with hypothermia or certain other physiological stressors. A widely used clinical burn mortality prediction tool is the revised Baux score, which is based on age, burn percentage, and presence or absence of inhalation injury. This tool predicts little to no hope of survival for a 77-year-old patient with 80% body surface area burns.