The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Allentown, Pennsylvania
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Location: Lindenwold, NJ
Accident Number: ERA17LA023
Date & Time: 10/19/2016, 1240 EDT
Registration: N415WE
Aircraft: ERCOUPE 415
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion
Injuries:2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On October 19, 2016, about 1240 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415C, N415WE, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Lindenwold, New Jersey. The private pilot and passenger were seriously injured. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Flying W Airport (N14), Lumberton, New Jersey. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated he rented the airplane and added nine gallons of fuel at Claremont Airport (58M), Elkton, Maryland. He departed with full fuel, 18 gallons, for the 1.2 hour flight to N14. He picked up a passenger and departed for a local area flight with about 12 gallons of fuel. The passenger stated that after departing N14 they briefly returned to the airport to fix a headset before departing again for the local flight.
About 15 minutes into the flight, while level at 1,200 feet at 2,300 rpm, when "without warning or touching the throttle, no power was available." He applied carburetor heat, but power was not restored. He began an emergency descent and the airplane subsequently impacted trees in a residential area.
The passenger reported it appeared that the engine was running at low rpm, and that during the flight the pilot stated, "something was wrong with the throttle." The pilot later stated he believed there may have been a problem with the throttle connection.
The owner stated the airplane burns about five gallons per hour, it has two 9 1/2 gallon wing tanks and a six gallon header tank. The header tank gravity feeds to the engine and the wing tanks are equipped with engine driven fuel pumps.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane subsequently impacted terrain and sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and the cockpit. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed the glass bowl on the fuel filter housing was empty. The engine mounts, crankcase, fuel system, and wiring were examined, no anomalies were found. The propeller was removed and a starting fluid was sprayed into the engine intake area. After a few revolutions, the engine began to fire and briefly ran in spurts while starting fluid was sprayed into the engine air inlet area. Correct throttle cable connection was not verified.Although there was no postaccident fire, first responders sprayed the airplane with fire suppressant. Due to the damage to the airplane and the fire suppressant the FAA inspector was unable to determine the amount of usable fuel on board.
The pilot held a private certificate for airplane single engine land airplane. His last FAA first-class medical was issued on March 7, 1992, with no restrictions.
The two-seat, low wing, tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane, was manufactured in 1946. It was powered by a Continental C-75, 75 horsepower engine.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 66, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present:No
Instructor Rating(s):None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 None
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/07/1992
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 08/08/2015
Flight Time: 347 hours (Total, all aircraft), 19 hours (Total, this make and model), 347 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 3 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: ERCOUPE
Registration: N415WE
Model/Series:415 C
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1946
Amateur Built:No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 2157
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats:2
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1320 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: C75 SERIES
Registered Owner: MCCAFFERY DANIEL LEE
Rated Power: 75 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: VAY, 53 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1254 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 45°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 12000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 6 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / Unknown
Wind Direction: 260°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / Unknown
Altimeter Setting: 29.92 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 17°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: LUMBERTON, NJ (N14)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: LUMBERTON, NJ (N14)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1220 EST
Type of Airspace: Class G
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 39.824444, -74.988611
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 19, 2016 in Lindenwold, NJ
Aircraft: ERCOUPE 415, registration: N415WE
Injuries: 2 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On October 19, 2016, about 1320 eastern daylight time, an Ercoupe 415C, N415WE, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Lindenwold, New Jersey. The private pilot and passenger were seriously injured. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Flying W Airport (N14), Lumberton, New Jersey. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot reported that he rented the airplane at Claremont Airport (58M), Elkton, Maryland, and added 9 gallons of fuel to the airplane before departing. He flew to N14 without incident to pick up the passenger, and they then departed for a local area flight.
The passenger reported that during the flight the pilot stated, "something was wrong with the throttle" before the engine began to lose power. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain and sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and the cockpit.
The two seat, low wing, tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane, was manufactured in 1946. It was powered by a Continental C-75, 75 horsepower engine. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
LINDENWOLD - A small plane that crashed into a backyard here Wednesday rolled away on the back of two trucks Thursday.
Neighbors watched from nearby lawns as workers placed battered pieces of a two-seater aircraft onto a trailer near the crash site on the 500 block of East Linden Avenue. A front end loader lifted the front of the plane's fuselage, including its cockpit, onto a flatbed truck.
The plane was carrying two South Jersey men when it crashed behind a home around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Lindenwold police said Wayne Gilchrist, 66, of Marlton was flying the plane, while 72-year-old David Misek of Cherry Hill was a passenger.
Misek told investigators the plane, which was made in 1946, “experienced an unknown mechanical issue just prior to the crash,” Lindenwold Police Det. Christopher Sherrer said in a statement.
Misek, a Rockingham Court resident, was awaiting surgery Thursday for a broken hip at Cooper University Hospital, Camden. Gilchrist, a Kettering Court resident, received “a large number of stitches” for "severe facial lacerations,” according to Sherrer. The pilot has been unable to speak to investigators, he added.
Authorities said the plane, which took off from Flying W Airport in Medford, narrowly missed several houses when it came down, then broke apart in the wooded yard. Gilchrist and Misek were trapped inside the overturned cockpit for about a half hours before emergency personnel could free them.
Gilchrist had rented the plane in Maryland, then flew to South Jersey for an excursion with Misek, according to the aircraft's owner, Daniel McCaffery of Chesapeake City, Md. McCaffery had initially identified Gilchrist as a Delaware resident.
Story and video: http://www.courierpostonline.com
LINDENWOLD - Two men were hospitalized after a small plane crashed into the backyard of a borough home Wednesday afternoon.
But the damage "could have been a lot worse," Lindenwold Police Chief Tom Brennan said.
He said the vintage two-seater plane narrowly missed several houses when it crashed around 12:45 p.m. in the 500 block of East Linden Avenue.
"It looks like it came between about four homes, kind of on a diagonal, struck some trees and ended up on the ground," the chief said. "No one on the ground was injured."
"I don't know what caused this but I think (the pilot) did a pretty nice job of putting it down," said the plane's owner, Daniel McCaffery of Chesapeake City, Maryland. McCaffery said he had rented the 70-year-old aircraft Wednesday to a Delaware man, Wayne Gilchrist, who flew to South Jersey to go flying with a friend.
Gilchrist and his passenger were trapped in the plane's overturned cockpit for about 30 minutes before firefighters could free them, Lindenwold Fire Chief Michael Nolan said. One was flown by helicopter to Cooper University Hospital, Camden, while the other was taken there by ambulance, he said.
"They are expected to survive," Brennan said of the men, who were admitted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
"They were unable to communicate when they were extricated," said Brennan, who described the victims as "semi-conscious."
Authorities identified the men only as a 66-year-old pilot and a 72-year-old passenger.
The plane, an Ercoupe 415-C made in 1946, had taken off from Flying W Airport in Medford prior to the crash, said the Federal Aviation Administration.
"It's a total loss," McCaffery said of the white-and-blue plane, which broke apart on impact. The front of the aircraft's fuselage, which had flipped so its wheels were in the air, lay about 6 to 8 feet from the twisted tail section.
Doretha Williams said she was shocked to come home Wednesday afternoon to find the wreckage in her yard.
"I'm glad that no kids were out playing," said Williams, who noted she hosted a children’s party in the yard over the weekend.
A woman who lives next door to the accident scene said the crash "sounded like an explosion."
The air crash is believed to have been the first in Lindenwold in more than 30 years.
Brennan said his reaction upon learning of the accident was, “Are you kidding me?"
"But here we are," he said as emergency vehicles from across Camden County lined Linden Avenue.
FAA investigators were on the scene by 2:30 p.m, with personnel en route from the National Transportation Safety Board.
At first, Lena and Peter Pullella didn’t realize the plane had crashed three houses away from their restaurant, Pullella's Pizza Parlor.
But then they saw emergency responders swarming the neighborhood, blocking access on Berlin Road.
A firefighter ran into their shop and asked for two bottles of water for the victims.
"I was shocked," said Peter Pullella. "I've been here 30 years — and zero plane crashes."
Rod Cooper, an Elm Avenue resident, came to the scene expecting to find a traffic accident.
"Unbelievable," he said, staring at the crashed plane from a neighboring lawn.
"Planes are always flying over our houses. You never think one's going to come down."
Source: http://www.courierpostonline.com
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