Plane Crash List

Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C N99371

30 December 1998 · San Ysabel, California, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 30 December 1998 at about 00:45 local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C registered N99371 was involved in an accident near San Ysabel, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 00:45
Classification
Accident
Location
San Ysabel, California, United States
Coordinates
33.1801, -116.7291
Aircraft
Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C
Registration
N99371
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Ramona → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Dusk
NTSB number
LAX99LA061

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

A fatigue fracture of the crankshaft and the resulting separation of the propeller.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

In cruise flight at 4,500 feet, the pilot added power as the terrain began to rise, then the engine started to vibrate. As the pilot looked down to check the mixture and carburetor heat, the vibration intensified. The crankshaft fractured and the propeller separated from the airplane. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing on uneven terrain and the nose gear collapsed. Metallurgical laboratory examination of the remaining crankshaft piece determined the crankshaft separated forward of the oil-slinger flange due to fatigue. The fatigue region had an origin point in an area mechanically damaged during the crankshaft failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
22 Apr 1998 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-D
N2777H
Colstrip, Montana, United States - Minor injuries -
31 Oct 1998 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C
N99924
Hartselle, Alabama, United States - Serious injuries -
6 May 1998 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C
N87125
Olustee, Oklahoma, United States - Fatal 1
19 Feb 1998 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C
N99270
Wood Lake, Nebraska, United States - Fatal 1
20 Mar 1999 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415E
N94818
Kingman, Arizona, United States - Fatal 2
18 Jul 1999 Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-CD
N3859H
Wahoo, Nebraska, United States - No injuries -

All 143 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
1 Oct 1998 Cessna 152
N49770
Avalon, California, United States Orange County Flight Center Fatal 1
5 Oct 1998 Grumman TS-2A
N416DF
Banning, California, United States - Fatal 1
15 Aug 1998 North American NAVION
N8820H
Salinas, California, United States - Fatal 2
21 Aug 1998 Bell 206B
N223HA
Salinas, California, United States
approximate position
- No injuries -
21 Aug 1998 Robinson R22B
N2335Q
Ramona, California, United States Civic Helicopters No injuries -
27 Aug 1998 Aerospatiale SA316B
N605RA
Porterville, California, United States U.s. Dept. of the Interior No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States