Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD accident near Charles City, VA
On September 28, 1993, an Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD (airplane) was involved in an accident near Charles City, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 28, 1993
- Place
- Charles City, VA
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.341°N, 77.070°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X13322
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On Tuesday, September 28, 1993, at 1123 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-CD, N4576B, owned and operated by the pilot, came apart in flight over a wooded area near Charles City, Virginia. The airplane and its occupants were located on September 29, 1993. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local, personal flight departed the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport about 1100 and no flight plan was filed. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of State Police, Westpoint Area Office Accident Report, a witness, located on a roof near the accident site stated that about 1130 he heard "sputtering" and looked up to the sky. He stated he saw an airplane's wing and fuselage which were separated from each other, floating toward the ground. He stated he did not see the airplane prior to the break-up. Portions of the airplane's flight path were recorded by the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). A set of primary radar returns (reflection of radar signal which indicate a two dimensional position in space - range/azimuth) were the only data recorded near the accident site location at the time of the accident. Secondary data, which reports the altitude of an airplane, were not recorded for the accident airplane. See the attached Specialist's Report of Investigation for a plot of the last 2 minutes and 13 seconds of data recorded for the airplane. The accident occurred during the hours o
Probable cause
the pilot exceeded the design stress limits of the airplane which resulted in an in-flight break-up.
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Browse: Virginia · Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
