Accident ERCO 415-C Ercoupe N99270,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36648
 
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Date:Wednesday 18 February 1998
Time:21:52 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic ERCO model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
ERCO 415-C Ercoupe
Owner/operator:Robert D.schroeder
Registration: N99270
MSN: 1893
Total airframe hrs:8262 hours
Engine model:Continental C-75
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Wood Lake, NE -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Bassett, NE (KRBE)
Destination airport:Valentine, NE (KVTN)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot took off from Bassett, Nebraska, in a misty, light rain, at about 1930 central standard time (cst), en route to Valentine, Nebraska [60 miles away]. At approximately 2100 cst, the airport manager at Valentine received a telephone call from the pilot's sister, inquiring as to her brother's whereabouts. The airport manager called the fixed base operator at Bassett. The pilot's sister contacted the Cherry County, Nebraska, Sheriff's Department, and reported the pilot missing. The Nebraska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), began an aerial search for the pilot's airplane at 2240 cst. The search was terminated 30 minutes later, when the CAP pilot began picking up ice on the airplane at 1,000 feet above ground level (agl). The aerial search was re-convened the following morning. The wreckage was found at approximately 0830 cst. The Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) station at Ainsworth, Nebraska, at 1952 cst, reported an overcast ceiling of 3,400 and 10 miles visibility. The sheriff, who was part of the ground search the night of the accident, described the weather as being a mixture of freezing drizzle, rain, and snow, with low clouds and low ceilings. On arrival at the accident site the following day, the sheriff said that he felt ice on the surface of one of the airplane's wings. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.

Probable Cause: the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather conditions, the wing ice, and the inadvertent stall. Factors contributing to this accident were the rain, freezing rain and low ceilings.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CHI98LA094
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 12 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB CHI98LA094

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:23 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
07-Apr-2024 14:31 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report]

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