On September 3, 1982, an Ercoupe 415C (registration N87141) operated by Austin/schweitzer/murphy was involved in an aviation accident near Englewood, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The threaded coupling between the gascolator and carburetor failed from fatigue. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During traffic pattern downwind, crew detected strong fuel odor; then considerable power loss. Engine ran at reduced power but sink rate prevented reaching runway. Aircraft nosed over on uneven terrain. Fatigue failure found in threaded coupling between gascolator and carburetor.
Incident Description
While the aircraft was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the aircrew detected a strong odor of fuel. Seconds later, a considerable loss of power occurred. The engine continued to operate at reduced power, but the resulting sink rate was too great to allow the aircraft to reach the runway. During the subsequent landing on uneven terrain, the aircraft nosed over.
Investigation Findings
An investigation into the incident revealed that a threaded coupling between the gascolator and carburetor had failed. The failure was attributed to fatigue. This component failure likely allowed fuel to escape, leading to the fuel odor and subsequent power loss.
Probable cause
The threaded coupling between the gascolator and carburetor failed from fatigue.