Ercoupe 415 N3956H

Summary

On 15 May 2020 at about 18:10 local time, a Ercoupe 415 registered N3956H was involved in an accident near Rogersville, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 May 2020 at 18:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Rogersville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Hawkins County (RVN)

Coordinates

36.4608, -82.8767

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415

Registration

N3956H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rogersville → Rogersville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA183

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath on approach, which resulted in an inflight collision with trees and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of an impairing medication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a short local flight, the pilot was maneuvering the airplane in the vicinity of the airport at an altitude lower than was typical, and a bank that was steeper, than a witness who was used to seeing the airplane had viewed in the past. Two pilot-rated witnesses described that later when returning to the airport, the airplane's engine sounded normal as the airplane entered the airport traffic pattern to land, but that its altitude was too low on final approach. The airplane then suddenly banked right when it struck the tops of trees before impacting terrain. While the wreckage was partially consumed by a post-impact fire, postaccident examination of what remained from the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, damage signatures observed on the propeller and the witness accounts indicated that the engine was likely operating normally at the time of the accident. Given the available information, it is likely that the airplane struck trees after the pilot descended too low while on final approach to the runway. Toxicological testing identified the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine at therapeutic levels in samples from the pilot. This medication is known to cause psychomotor slowing, sedation, and impaired cognition. It is possible that the pilot’s performance was impaired, which could have contributed to his failure to maintain a proper glidepath while approaching the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.