History of Flight
On October 9, 2010, at 1407 eastern daylight time, an Engineering and Research Corporation Ercoupe 415-D, registration N89331, impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 25 at Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU) in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Witnesses reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the airplane sounded like it was "not producing full power" during departure. The airplane oscillated, then banked left and struck a road with the left wing down.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine and multiengine land ratings. His most recent third-class FAA medical certificate was issued on August 20, 2009, at which time he reported 825 hours of total flight experience. Examination of the pilot's logbook showed entries from October 14, 2005, to October 6, 2010, with a total of 839 hours as of the final entry. In the year prior to the accident, he accumulated 10.6 hours, and 9.3 hours in the previous 30 days. Only one flight in the accident airplane was recorded—a 30-minute flight on October 3, 2010.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1946 and purchased by the pilot in June 2000. It received its airworthiness certificate in July 2000. It was a low-wing, single-engine airplane with a Continental C-85-12, 85-horsepower engine. The most recent annual inspection was completed on December 12, 2009, at a total time of 1960.4 hours and a tachometer time of 1828 hours. According to the pilot's son, the pilot had performed maintenance on the airplane due to a fuel problem, which he believed was resolved. The son also noted the last fueling occurred on October 6, 2010. Witnesses reported that the pilot removed the engine cowling and performed maintenance before the accident flight.
Meteorological Information
Weather recorded at LZU at 1406 included wind from 310 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 27°C, dew point 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.05 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination revealed the left wing impacted a road, then the airplane skidded about 12 feet into an embankment, continued about 60 feet, and came to rest under a chain link fence in a parking lot, resting on its nose. The left wing was broken from inboard attachments and bent forward; its leading edge was compressed 36 inches from the tip with markings consistent with road impact. The left aileron was intact and secured. The left rear spar separated from the rear wing attachment. The right wing was twisted upward from the rear; the right aileron was intact. Wing fuel tanks were ruptured, and fuel was present on the ground and in the main tank. Wings were placarded for auto fuel.
The tail section was intact and creased. The left rudder was bent slightly at the bottom. The nose section was crushed downward, and the left lower fuselage showed impact damage forward of the wing spar.
Cockpit examination revealed the mixture control full rich, carburetor heat off, throttle in the approximate mid-range position, primer in and locked. The airspeed indicator showed 45 mph, magnetic compass 250 degrees, vertical speed indicator 400 fpm climb, and tachometer 1828 hours (same as the last annual inspection).
The engine remained attached; the propeller remained attached with aft crushing damage to the spinner hub and blades deflected rearward with chordwise scratching. The engine cowling was popped open at the top; the main fuel cap was missing.
The airplane and engine were examined at a salvage facility by Continental Engines representatives under FAA supervision. The gascolator nut was not safety wired and was loose, allowing air into the fuel system. The gascolator bowl was heavily rusted and corroded. The carburetor bowl was rusted and corroded; the float and needle valve were so corroded they could not be removed. The fuel line from the wing tanks to the fuel pump was blocked off with a rubber hose, making only the six gallons in the header tank available to the engine.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot on October 10, 2010. Toxicological testing detected no drugs or alcohol.
Tests and Research
A handheld Garmin GPS 396 from the wreckage was examined by the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. Data confirmed the airplane departed runway 25 and impacted the ground at 1407, about 1/2 mile from the departure end. No additional flights were captured on the unit.
Additional Information
A query of fixed based operators at LZU found no records of the pilot purchasing aviation fuel at the airport.