Ercoupe 415 D N94070

Summary

On 24 June 2018 at about 16:15 local time, a Ercoupe 415 D registered N94070 was involved in an accident near Monmouth, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2018 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Monmouth, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Monmouth Muni (C66)

Coordinates

40.9386, -90.6231

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415 D

Registration

N94070

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

Monmouth → Monmouth

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18FA235

2 people died.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger departed on a local flight to complete touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport. The airplane was in the traffic pattern when witnesses reported that the airplane flew very low over their house and that the engine was "sputtering and backfiring." The airplane flew about 30 ft above them, made a steep left bank toward the airport, then impacted the ground in a wooded area. A postimpact fire consumed a majority of the airplane; the propeller exhibited signatures consistent with a lack of engine power at impact.Although impact and thermal damage precluded a detailed examination of the engine and fuel system, examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or abnormalities that would have led to a loss of engine power. The investigation was unable to determine the cause of the loss of engine power based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.