Ercoupe 415 C N2788H

Summary

On 12 April 2014 at about 16:00 local time, a Ercoupe 415 C registered N2788H, operated by Demarco Albert, was involved in an accident near Cookson, Oklahoma, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 April 2014 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cookson, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Tenkiller (44M)

Coordinates

35.6803, -94.8898

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415 C

Registration

N2788H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Demarco Albert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cookson → Etna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA199

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to properly secure the primer, which resulted in the loss of engine power during takeoff. 

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot-rated passenger reported that he and the pilot aborted the first takeoff attempt due to a loss of engine power. They taxied the airplane back to the departure end of the runway and applied full and partial power several times but were unable to duplicate the engine problem, so the pilot chose to take off again. Shortly after the airplane became airborne, the engine lost power, and the pilot subsequently landed the airplane in wooded terrain. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed that the fuel tanks were breached during impact; however, some fuel was found in the header tank and gascolator. The carburetor inlet fitting had broken off at impact, and the carburetor bowl was empty. The mixture arm was separated from the carburetor and not safety-wired in the full-rich position. The Nos. 1 and 3 plugs were found blackened. The engine was manually rotated via the propeller, and valve train continuity was established. The primer was found unlocked and partially pulled out. An unsecured primer can cause the engine to run richer than normal, which could result in a rough-running engine, loss of power, and blackened spark plugs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.