ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 292575
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| Date: | Tuesday 7 March 2006 |
| Time: | 21:30 LT |
| Type: |  ERCO 415-E Ercoupe |
| Owner/operator: | Lloyd J Probst |
| Registration: | N94840 |
| MSN: | 4913 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3159 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental AC75 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wetumpka, AL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Alexander City-Thomas C Russell Field, AL (ALX/KALX) |
| Wetumpka, AL (08A) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot stated that while enroute to the Wetumpka Airport at 2,500 feet the engine began to vibrate and stopped. He contacted air traffic control personnel and declared an emergency. The pilot made an emergency landing in an open field where the airplane collided with a ditch on the landing rollout and nosed over inverted. Examination of the engine by an FAA inspector revealed that when the No. 2 upper spark plug was removed it had foreign object damage. A compression check was performed and the No. 2 cylinder had no compression. The crankshaft was rotated and gear and valve train continuity was established. The No. 2 cylinder was removed from the engine case and examination of the cylinder assembly revealed that the exhaust and intake valves were broken. A review of the engine logbook revealed that the new Superior cylinders were installed on December 12, 2000, and had a total operation time of 272 hours since the installation. The No. 2 cylinder, exhaust, intake valves, and piston were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Material Laboratory for further examination. The valves from the No. 2 cylinder were disassembled and visually inspected. The exhaust fracture faces were so heavily damaged by post separation impacts that no original fracture features could be found. The fractures on the intake valve head were only slightly damaged with features consistent with overstress fracturing consistent with low temperature impact loading, secondary to the fracture of the exhaust valve.
Probable Cause: The failure of the No. 2 exhaust, and intake valves for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise flight and damage to the airplane during the subsequent forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ATL06LA049
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Oct-2022 06:26 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 08-Nov-2022 02:07 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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