Ercoupe 415-CD C-FXJK

Summary

On 4 December 2002 at about 18:00 local time, a Ercoupe 415-CD registered C-FXJK was involved in an accident near Dalton, Massachusetts, 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.

Date

4 December 2002 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Dalton, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

42.4333, -73.1972

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415-CD

Registration

C-FXJK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glens Falls → Chester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03LA028

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor was the cold air temperature.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, on the third and final leg of a trip, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, and the airplane struck uneven terrain. Examination of the engine revealed a frozen liquid in the gascolator, consistent with water. The pilot reported that prior to the trip, he fueled the airplane with "an old batch" of 80/87 aviation gasoline. The airplane then remained parked in a leaky hangar for approximately 1 month. Before his initial departure, the pilot sumped both wing tanks and the engine sump, but did not observe any water. However, the pilot added that the temperature was very cold, and he believed that water in the fuel tanks had frozen and risen to the surface. During the second leg of the trip, the pilot stopped at an airport and added 5 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline. He also sumped the tanks after that fueling, and did not observe any water. The reported temperature near the accident site was 22 degrees F.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.