Accident Overview
On November 20, 2017, at approximately 1230 mountain standard time, an Ercoupe 415-CD airplane, registration N3067H, experienced a loss of engine power while in flight near Aurora, Colorado. The pilot was the sole occupant and was not injured. The airplane, however, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a road sign and a fence during the subsequent forced landing.
Flight Details
The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. It departed from Centennial Airport (APA) near Denver, Colorado, around 1200 local time from runway 17L. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot reported climbing out to the east, noting no turbulence up to 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl). While performing a "Lazy 8" maneuver over County Line Road and turning west, the engine lost power at approximately 7,500 feet msl.
Emergency Response
After the power loss, the pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He then searched for a suitable landing area and chose County Line Road due to the surrounding hilly terrain. During the landing roll, the pilot saw a car on the road and tried to turn right to avoid it. However, the right wing struck a road sign, then the airplane went through a barbed wire fence and came to rest about 40 yards off the road.
Weather and Fuel System
Weather recorded at APA at 1153 showed calm winds, 10 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 8,000 feet, few clouds at 12,000 feet, and broken clouds at 22,000 feet. The temperature was 16°C with a dew point of -14°C. The conditions were not conducive to carburetor icing.
Post-Accident Examination
The pilot sold the airplane to a collector of Ercoupes before an examination of the fuel pump could be completed. The collector removed the mechanical fuel pump and found that moving its lever arm up and down did not produce suction at the pump inlet. The pump appeared very old and showed excessive wear on the lever arm that operates on the engine cam. The mechanical fuel pump normally transfers fuel from the main wing tanks to the fuselage header tank, which supplies the carburetor by gravity. The airplane had no electric fuel pump. In case of a mechanical fuel pump failure, engine operation continues until the header tank is depleted. A fuel gauge on the header tank cap is visible to the pilot. The Ercoupe instruction manual notes that when the fuselage tank fuel gauge starts dropping, fuel is no longer being pumped from the wing tanks.
Pilot Recommendations
The pilot suggested that having a fuel flow indicator or a warning light to show lack of flow from the wing tank to the header tank, a reliable fuel quantity indicator in the header tank, and an electric backup fuel pump between the wing tanks and header tank would be beneficial.