Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-D N87226

Summary

On 14 December 1996 at about 16:00 local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-D registered N87226 was involved in an accident near Amarillo, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 December 1996 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Coordinates

35.1394, -101.8807

Aircraft

Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-D

Registration

N87226

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Dumas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA063

Nobody was injured.

failure of the #1 exhaust valve, which resulted in loss of engine power and a forced landing on rough/uneven terrain. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the engine lost power without warning as he retarded the throttle to 2,250 RPM, while leveling at 5,500 feet. The pilot attempted without success to restart the engine, and he elected to execute a forced landing to a road. Traffic conditions on the road prevented its use for a forced landing, so the pilot selected a field adjacent to the road that was covered with mesquite shrubs and clumps of bear grass. The pilot further stated that the selected field turned out to be rough and uneven. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the #1 exhaust valve head had separated from the valve stem, resulting in internal damage to the respective cylinder, piston, intake valve, and push rods.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.