ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 78621
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| Date: | Saturday 9 October 2010 |
| Time: | 14:07 |
| Type: |  ERCO 415-D Ercoupe |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N89331 |
| MSN: | 3269 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1828 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental A&C75 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Gwinnett County Airport (KLZU), Georgia -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Gwinnett County Airport, GA (LZU/KLZU) |
| Gwinnett County Airport, GA (LZU/KLZU) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Witnesses reported that the pilot had removed the engine cowling prior to the accident flight and was performing maintenance on the engine. They observed the airplane depart from the runway and noted that it sounded as if it was not producing full power. The airplane then oscillated, banked left, and impacted a road with the left wing down. Examination of the engine revealed the nut on the bottom of the gascolator was not safety wired and was loose, allowing air into the fuel system. Additionally, the gascolator bowl, carburetor bowl, and float needle valve were heavily rusted and corroded. The fuel line from the wing fuel tanks to the fuel pump had been blocked off with a rubber hose, making the only fuel available to the engine, the six gallons in the header tank. The pilot's son reported that prior to the accident, the pilot performed maintenance on the airplane due to a fuel problem. The pilot's son believed the problem was resolved and the pilot last flew the airplane about a week prior to the accident in the local area. According to the maintenance logbooks, the most recent inspection was completed on the airplane 10 months prior to the accident. Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed his only flight in the accident airplane was a 30-minute flight 6 days prior to the accident.
Probable Cause: Inadequate maintenance performed on the airplane, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the corrosion within the carburetor.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/pilot-dies-in-plane-crash_nfdcd/241630841/
NTSB
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/000/083/083008.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 September 1995 | N89331 | Private | 0 | Belleville, IL | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Oct-2010 08:15 | slowkid | Added |
| 10-Oct-2010 08:22 | slowkid | Updated [Total occupants, Narrative] |
| 10-Oct-2010 13:26 | Anon. | Updated [Total occupants, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 18:34 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-May-2020 21:48 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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