Accident Overview
On April 28, 2010, at 1155 eastern daylight time, an Engineering and Research Corporation Ercoupe 415-C, registration N87172, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at LaGrange-Callaway Airport (LGC) in LaGrange, Georgia. The certificated private pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
According to the pilot, the flight originated at Newnan-Coweta Airport (CCO) in Atlanta, Georgia. Before departure, the pilot added fuel, bringing the left wing tank to 7.5 gallons and the right wing tank to 8.5 gallons. He reported that the subsequent preflight inspection was normal, with no water or debris found in fuel samples taken from the wing tank sumps or the gascolator.
The pilot took off from CCO and flew to Roanoke Municipal Airport (7A5) in Roanoke, Alabama, at an altitude of 4,500 feet. After a full-stop landing, he back-taxied and then took off for LGC, flying at 3,000 feet. He made another full-stop landing at LGC, then taxied back and took off again to return to CCO.
Shortly after taking off from LGC, while the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at about 900 feet, the engine sputtered twice and quit. The pilot attempted to land on the runway, but the airplane landed short and the nose landing gear buckled.
The straight-line distance from CCO to 7A5 is 32 nautical miles, and from 7A5 to LGC is 16 nautical miles.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The inspector found that no fuel lines were compromised or blocked. The fuel lines contained little to no fuel, and the gascolator was approximately half full of fuel. The fuel header tank was empty, while the two wing tanks were almost full.
The inspector noted that the fuel tank shut-off valve, located in front of the right seat along the floor, and the main fuel valve were both in the off position. The pilot advised the inspector that he had turned both valves off after evacuating the airplane, and stated that it was his practice to turn off the fuel tank shut-off valve after every flight.
The inspector further explained that the fuel tank shut-off valve controls fuel flow from the wing tanks to the header tank, and the main fuel valve controls flow from the header tank to the engine. The header tank allows for approximately one hour of flight, as the airplane burns 6 to 8 gallons per hour.