Coughlin LONG-EZ N743TC

Summary

On 1 November 1999 at about 20:30 local time, a Coughlin LONG-EZ registered N743TC was involved in an accident near Remington, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 November 1999 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Remington, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Culpepper County Airport (CJR)

Coordinates

38.5293, -77.7991

Aircraft

Coughlin LONG-EZ

Registration

N743TC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Culpeper → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD00FA003

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from the trees while maneuvering at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had given an airplane ride to a passenger earlier in the day, and departed on a second flight with another passenger. Two witnesses described the airplane's flight path from east to west over their heads and then returning from the south over the river. They described the engine noise as smooth and without interruption. The airplane descended into the river channel, below the tops of the trees, at a steep angle of bank. The airplane 'fluttered' as it continued through a steep left turn and struck the treetops along the riverbank. The airplane continued through the trees approximately 500 feet before it struck terrain and caught fire. Several composite propeller fragments and pieces of angular cut wood were found along the wreckage path. Other than extensive fire damage, no discrepancies were noted in the wreckage of the airframe or engine. Immediately after the crash, the pilot reported to one of the witnesses, 'I don't understand. I just couldn't get it out of my bank.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.