Ercoupe F 1 N3000G

Summary

On 21 September 2020 at about 20:00 local time, a Ercoupe F 1 registered N3000G was involved in an accident near West Kingston, Rhode Island, 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

21 September 2020 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

West Kingston, Rhode Island, United States

Nearest airport

Richmond Airport West Kingston (08R)

Coordinates

41.4992, -71.5904

Aircraft

Ercoupe F 1

Registration

N3000G

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

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

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA325

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to conduct a proper preflight inspection and ensure the fuel was uncontaminated, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, during initial climb out, the pilot noted a decrease in engine performance and that the airplane was unable to climb or maintain altitude. After unsuccessfully attempting to troubleshoot the issue, he performed a forced landing in field that was populated by solar panels. During the landing the airplane struck several of the solar panels, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system revealed the presence of water and other contaminates in the gascolator, carburetor bowl, carburetor inlet screen, and engine-driven fuel pump. The examination did not otherwise discover evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that while he performed his preflight inspection, which included sampling fuel from the airplane’s the header fuel tank, he historically always had difficulty with water in the fuel, specifically from the header tank and gascolator. Given this information it is likely that the partial loss of engine power the pilot experienced during the climb was due to contamination of the engine’s fuel supply with water and debris.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.