Ercoupe 415 N3816H

Summary

On 10 September 2019 at about 15:30 local time, a Ercoupe 415 registered N3816H, operated by Desert Aero Club LLC, was involved in an accident near Maricopa, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 September 2019 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Maricopa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Ak-Chin Rgnl (A39)

Coordinates

32.9906, -111.9172

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415

Registration

N3816H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Desert Aero Club LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA253

2 people were seriously injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to prevent the student pilot from exceeding the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent spin. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s failure to make a positive transfer of airplane control when the flight instructor directed him to do so.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the takeoff roll for the instructional flight, the student pilot allowed the airplane to veer left of centerline multiple times, but the flight instructor corrected the airplane’s track back to runway centerline with steering control inputs. As the airplane lifted off the ground, the student pilot abruptly pitched the airplane’s nose up, and the airplane began to bank to the left. The flight instructor stated twice that he had the flight controls; however, the student pilot’s continued inputs prevented the flight instructor from gaining control of the airplane. Afterward, the airplane stalled; the student pilot relinquished airplane control to the flight instructor; and the airplane entered a spin and collided with the roof of a two-story airport building, which caused substantial damage to the airplane and serious injuries to the airplane occupants. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that full operation of the elevator was not possible while the flight instructor was trying to manipulate the controls and the student pilot was not relinquishing the controls, which led to the roll to the left and the subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack. Even though the student pilot was at the controls before and at the time of the stall, the flight instructor had the ultimate responsibility for the safety of the flight, especially given that the accident flight was only the student’s second time receiving instruction in the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.