Ercoupe 415-C N93606
4 October 2012 · Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 October 2012 at about 16:55 local time, a Ercoupe 415-C registered N93606 was involved in an accident near Parkersburg, West Virginia, 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 16:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mid-Ohio Valley Regional (PKB)
- Coordinates
- 39.3447, -81.4392
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415-C
- Registration
- N93606
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairmont → Parkersburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA13LA007
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The first leg of the student pilot's planned solo cross-country flight was uneventful until he attempted to land at his destination airport. During the flare, as the airplane began to settle, he reduced power and the airplane "dropped," touched down on the main landing gear, then the nose landing gear, and then "hopped." The airplane then touched down again and traveled about 50 feet before the nosewheel separated, and the airplane slid to a stop. Examination of the airplane revealed that the two halves of the nosewheel assembly had separated from each other and multiple fractures existed in both halves. Further examination of the airplane also revealed that the firewall and fuselage had incurred substantial damage. The airplane was manufactured in 1946, and the pilot stated that he believed that the nosewheel assembly might have failed due to fatigue during the landing. However, examination of the nosewheel assembly by the NTSB's Materials Laboratory revealed that the damage was consistent with an overload event.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Ercoupe 415 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Nov 2012 | Ercoupe 415-C | Blair, Nebraska, United States | Herrick V. Robert | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Dec 2011 | Ercoupe 415-C | Panacea, Florida, United States | Loumakis Kyriakos J | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2013 | Ercoupe 415-C | Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 2011 | Ercoupe 415-CD | Newaygo, Michigan, United States | Buttermore Dale D | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 2011 | Ercoupe 415-C | Mulberry, Florida, United States | Robert van Wagnen | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2013 | Ercoupe 415-C | Mesquite, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2012 | Prendergast John/Vans RV-7A | Gerrardstown, West Virginia, United States | John Prendergast | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2012 | Beechcraft C90GT | Morgantown, West Virginia, United States | OZ GAS Aviation LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jan 2012 | Boeing DHC-8-102 | Huntington, West Virginia, United States | Piedmont Airlines Incorporated | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 2012 | Piper PA-42 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | Clear Blue Sky Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 2012 | Willoughby Pete A STREAK SHADOW | Salem, West Virginia, United States | Martin Joseph K | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 2012 | Beechcraft 58 | South Charleston, West Virginia, United States | Caswell Bruce | Minor injuries | - |