Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C accident near Wood Lake, NE

On February 19, 1998, an Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wood Lake, NE. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

February 19, 1998

Place

Wood Lake, NE

Aircraft

Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

42.630°N, 100.230°W

NTSB ID

20001211X09528

NTSB summary

On February 18, 1998, at 1952 central standard time (cst), an Ercoupe 415-C, N99270, operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight and impacted the terrain, 10 miles northwest of Wood Lake, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated at Bassett, Nebraska, at 1930 cst, and was en route to Valentine, Nebraska. The airport manager at Beatrice, Nebraska, said that the pilot had rented a hangar there for the past three months. The manager recalled hearing a conversation, over his radio, between the pilot, and the pilot of another aircraft regarding whether the pilot's briefcase had fallen off of his wing onto the runway when he taxied out for takeoff. The pilot departed Beatrice shortly after that. The airport manager noted that it was 1515 cst. An attendant at Bassett, Nebraska, said that he refueled the pilot's airplane at approximately 1900 cst. The pilot informed the attendant that his front fuel tank gas cap had come off about 20 miles out from Bassett. The attendant said that he filled the two wing tanks with 16.4 gallons of fuel. The pilot then pulled out a non-standard gas cap and put it on the front fuel tank. The pilot asked the attendant if he would wait around until he got the airplane started. Following an uneventful engine start, the attendant watched the pilot taxi out and takeoff to the southeast. The attendant said the pilot took off in the dark, at about 1930 cst. He recalled

Probable cause

the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather conditions, the wing ice, and the inadvertent stall. Factors contributing to this accident were the rain, freezing rain and low ceilings.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.