Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415C N2406H

Summary

On 14 May 2005 at about 01:00 local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415C registered N2406H, operated by Jerry Mayers, was involved in an accident near Saluda, Virginia, 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 May 2005 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Saluda, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Hummel (W75)

Coordinates

37.6022, -76.4464

Aircraft

Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415C

Registration

N2406H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Jerry Mayers

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saluda → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

NYC05LA084

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to an unsecured mixture control cable, which was not properly secured by maintenance personnel during a recent annual inspection. Also causal was the airplane owner's continued operation of the airplane with known deficiencies.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was departing from a 2,270-foot-long runway, and was about 100 feet above the ground, when it experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a field; however, the airplane struck a fence and a tractor, prior to coming to rest. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the carburetor mixture control cable was not properly secured. The carburetor mixture control arm was observed in the lean position, while the cockpit mixture control was in the full rich position. The airplane had been operated for about 35 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed about one month prior to the accident. The airplane owner reported that the airplane had experienced several recent power losses since the annual inspection, and a work order dated after the accident listed discrepancies with the airplane, which included "mixture cable secured with zip ties and loose."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.