Ercoupe 415 accident near Rogersville, TN
On May 15, 2020, an Ercoupe 415 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rogersville, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 15, 2020
- Place
- Rogersville, TN
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.461°N, 82.877°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200515X53234
Official records · ERA20LA183
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On May 15, 2020, about 1410 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-CD airplane, N3956H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rogersville, Tennessee. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot of the airplane was based at Hawkins County Airport (RVN), Rogersville, Tennessee, and an acquaintance of the pilot described that he would typically depart for short duration local flights in the vicinity of the airport. A witness, whose farm was about 3 miles southwest of the airport, was outside when he saw the pilot fly over. He had seen the pilot fly over the farm in the past and described that on the day of the accident the pilot was “lower than he would normally fly, he would typically be about 1,000 ft and fly straight and level.” The pilot initially flew past the farm, then made two circles over the farm and flew back toward the airport. The witness stated that the pilot’s bank angle in the turns was steeper than normal and that, when he rolled out of the turn, the airplane wobbled a little, as if he had overcompensated. The witness noted the wind was erratic and gusty that day. Two other witnesses, who were also pilots, stated that the airplane's engine sounded normal as it entered the traffic pattern to land at RVN. Both witnesses described seeing the airplane while it was low on final approach to the runway when the airplane suddenly banked right. One of the witnesses described the movement as very fast, as if the airplane was “snagged” to the right. The other w
Probable cause
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.
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Browse: Tennessee · Ercoupe 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.
