Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C N99180

Summary

On 15 May 2008 at about 22:10 local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C registered N99180, operated by Anthony J. Toni, was involved in an accident near Penngrove, California, United States. 2 people were 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

15 May 2008 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Penngrove, California, United States

Coordinates

38.2997, -122.6664

Aircraft

Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415-C

Registration

N99180

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Anthony J. Toni

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Petaluma → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08LA142

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power resulting from frayed magneto "P" leads, which shorted out and killed the ignition system. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the airplane's engine lost total power and the pilot executed a forced landing in an alfalfa field. During the landing roll in the 2 to 3-foot-tall grass, the airplane skidded sideways and the tail dug into the ground. The airplane's tail cone was buckled, and the right vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors found that both magnetos had frayed primary wires ("P" leads) at the magnetos, which could have been shorting out and intermittently killing the ignition system. They noted numerous additional maintenance discrepancies with the airplane; however, none of these would have contributed to a loss of engine power. According to the inspectors, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed about 2 months before the accident. The maintenance discrepancies found by the FAA inspectors, including the frayed "P" leads, should have been repaired during this annual inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.