ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 86809
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| Date: | Wednesday 4 December 2002 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  ERCO 415 Ercoupe |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | C-FXJK |
| MSN: | 4666 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1948 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2400 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental C85-12 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dalton, Massachusetts -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Glens Falls, NY (GFL) |
| Chester, CT (3B9) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While in cruise flight, on the third and final leg of a trip, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, and the airplane struck uneven terrain. Examination of the engine revealed a frozen liquid in the gascolator, consistent with water. The pilot reported that prior to the trip, he fueled the airplane with "an old batch" of 80/87 aviation gasoline. The airplane then remained parked in a leaky hangar for approximately 1 month. Before his initial departure, the pilot sumped both wing tanks and the engine sump, but did not observe any water. However, the pilot added that the temperature was very cold, and he believed that water in the fuel tanks had frozen and risen to the surface. During the second leg of the trip, the pilot stopped at an airport and added 5 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline. He also sumped the tanks after that fueling, and did not observe any water. The reported temperature near the accident site was 22 degrees F.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor was the cold air temperature.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20021206X05573&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Dec-2010 06:05 | slowkid | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Dec-2017 18:03 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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