Ercoupe 415 N2275H

Summary

On 30 April 2020 at about 19:30 local time, a Ercoupe 415 registered N2275H was involved in an accident near Hallettsville, Texas, United States. One person was 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

30 April 2020 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hallettsville, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.4400, -97.0600

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415

Registration

N2275H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Uvalde → Eagle Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA170

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to contaminated fuel and carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was making a cross-country flight and reported that, about 1 hour into the flight, the engine began to “rattle” and “vibrate.” The engine lost power but remained running with about 1,000 RPMs. The pilot recognized that the airplane could not maintain altitude and executed a forced landing in a field. Upon landing, the airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage to the forward underside of the fuselage. No mechanical anomalies were found with the engine. The cockpit fuel selector was found in the left fuel tank position. Contaminated fuel was found in the left-wing tank. The source of the fuel contamination could not be determined. The carburetor was heavily soiled. Murky fuel and sediment were present in the gascolator sediment bowl. The airplane was operating in conditions that were conducive to serious carburetor icing at descent power. However, the carburetor heat knob in the cockpit was not engaged. The combination of contaminated fuel and possible carburetor icing likely resulted in the partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.