Ercoupe 415-D N415JC

Summary

On 23 July 2023 at about 00:40 local time, a Ercoupe 415-D registered N415JC was involved in an accident near Waupun, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 July 2023 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Waupun, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

43.6960, -88.7580

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415-D

Registration

N415JC

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

Cedar Rapids → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA322

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s decision to take off without correcting a misinstalled fuel cap, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by improper venting of the fuel system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a cross-country flight, the engine rpm dropped and the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power without success. The pilot established that the engine was likely starved of fuel and elected to perform a forced landing into a marsh. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The pilot stated that they departed with about 28 gallons of fuel on board. After the airplane was fueled, the line technician placed the vented fuel cap on backwards. The pilot elected to continue the flight to the destination and address the misinstallation upon arrival. After the accident all of the fuel tanks were empty; however, law enforcement reported that an unknown quantity of fuel had leaked from the left fuel tank. A postaccident examination confirmed that the vented fuel cap was on backwards on the outboard fuel tank. An examination of the remaining fuel system and the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The lack of venting from the misinstalled fuel cap likely precluded fuel from flowing from that fuel tank, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.