Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Ercoupe 415-C, N93606: Accident occurred August 14, 2015 near Fairmont Municipal Airport (4G7), Marion County, West Virginia



http://registry.faa.gov/N93606


NTSB Identification: ERA15CA317
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 14, 2015 in Fairmont, WV
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/03/2015
Aircraft: ERCOUPE 415 C, registration: N93606
Injuries: 1 Minor.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff he noticed that there was no movement on the header tank fuel float gauge. He went on to say that the fuel float gauge then started to move "down quickly", and since he still had the airport insight, he decided to turn back and conduct a precautionary landing. As he approached for landing he "raised" the nose of the airplane to slow down; but became "too low and too slow" and the airplane collided with a road adjacent to the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Examination of the fuel float gauge by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any anomalies. In addition, the pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the wing's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with terrain.

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) - Federal investigators say pilot error is the probable cause of a small plane crash in Fairmont in August.

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot failed to maintain airspeed and exceeded the wings' critical angle of attack. This caused an aerodynamic stall.

The Eurocoupe 415 C crashed onto a road adjacent to Fairmont Municipal Airport shortly after taking off on Aug 14. The pilot suffered minor injuries.

The report says the pilot turned back to the airport after he noticed that a fuel float gauge didn't move, and then began to fall quickly. The pilot raised the plane's nose to slow down as he approached the airport but the aircraft was "too low and too slow."

Source:  http://www.wdtv.com

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