Ercoupe 415-C N87114

Summary

On 14 April 2013 at about 17:20 local time, a Ercoupe 415-C registered N87114 was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 April 2013 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesquite, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Mesquite (67L)

Coordinates

36.8961, -114.0494

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415-C

Registration

N87114

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Ely

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA191

1 person had minor injuries.

Separation of the propeller from the engine during initial climb due to the incorrect torque applied to the propeller hub nut during maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The propeller departed the airplane during the initial climb following takeoff, and the pilot performed a forced landing into a rocky field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and firewall during the accident sequence; the pilot was not injured. The propeller and its associated hub mounting hardware were not recovered. The threaded portion of the crankshaft had been flattened by the propeller's hub, indicating that the hub nut was in place but had backed off during the flight. The nut had backed off most likely because the incorrect torque had been applied during its reinstallation, about 40 flight hours before the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.