Ercoupe 415 N2674H

Summary

On 6 December 2020 at about 21:18 local time, a Ercoupe 415 registered N2674H was involved in an accident near South Boston, 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.

Date

6 December 2020 at 21:18

Classification

Accident

Location

South Boston, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.6987, -78.9014

Aircraft

Ercoupe 415

Registration

N2674H

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

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA21LA062

Nobody was injured.

The improper installation of a fuel filter screen cover gasket, which resulted in its failure, fuel starvation, and a subsequent total loss of engine power during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the unapproved fuel sight gauge, which obscured the pilot’s view of the fuel level in the fuel header tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the engine lost total power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a road, during which the right wing sustained substantial damage. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed the failure of a fuel filter screen cover gasket from the fuel transfer pump, which transferred fuel from the wings to the header fuel tank. The failure allowed the fuel transfer pump to draw in air rather than fuel. Given this information, it is likely the engine consumed all the fuel in the fuel header tank, and the fuel was not replaced with fuel in the wings due to the transfer pump anomaly. When the failed gasket was replaced with a new gasket, the engine started normally, and the fuel transfer pump operated normally. Further examination of the failed gasket revealed that the gasket was damaged, likely during installation at the most recent annual inspection about 4 months before the accident. Additionally, the sight gauge for the fuel header tank was cloudy and was an unapproved part, which obscured viewing of the fuel level in the fuel header tank and likely prevented the pilot from recognizing that the fuel was not transferring properly from the wing tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.