Pilot Debrief

ERCOUPE 415 CD near Aurora, CO — 2017-11-20

Final reportCEN18LA034
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Date
2017-11-20
Location
Aurora, CO, USA
Aircraft
ERCOUPE 415 CD
Registration
N3067H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The failure of the engine-driven fuel pump and the pilot's failure to identify the pump's failure, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane hit obstacles.

NTSB narrative

While the commercial pilot was maneuvering the airplane during a local flight, the engine lost total power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he made a forced landing to a nearby road. After landing, the pilot saw a car on the road and attempted to turn the airplane to the right; however, the airplane's right wing impacted a road sign and a barbed wire fence. Postaccident testing revealed that the engine-driven fuel pump was not functional; thus, the fuel contained in the main tanks could not be transferred to the header tank. Therefore, the loss of engine power was likely the result of fuel starvation after the available fuel in the header tank had been depleted. Although the airplane was equipped with a header tank fuel gauge, the pilot failed to identify that the fuel level in the header tank was decreasing prematurely.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel system before flight to prevent engine power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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