Arlington, WA, USA
N93788
Ercoupe 415-C
According to the pilot, earlier in the afternoon, he flew the airplane from one airport to another, and he and his passenger had lunch at the destination airport. The pilot reported that he experienced "some difficulty restarting the plane" for the return trip. After "several tries," he was able to restart the engine. The pilot stated that he did not recall checking the engine oil pressure after restarting the engine. After takeoff on runway 34, the pilot "noticed that the oil pressure indicated 0." He reduced power and maneuvered the airplane for an emergency landing on runway 11. During the turn to final, the airplane "lost altitude," and the pilot attempted to stop the descent by adding power, but the left wing struck the ground. According to the pilot, about 6 months before the accident, "there were several incidents where the oil pressure failed to come up after a stop for lunch. After mechanics replace[d] the oil pressure relief valve, this had not been a problem." The reason for the loss of oil pressure on the accident flight was not determined.
On February 11, 2006, about 1600 Pacific standard time, an Ercoupe 415-C airplane, N93788, sustained substantial damage when it collided with the ground during an emergency landing after takeoff from the Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, Washington. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating when the accident occurred and the intended destination was Everett, Washington. According to the pilot, earlier in the afternoon, he flew the airplane from Everett to Arlington, and he and his passenger had lunch at the Arlington Airport. The pilot reported that he experienced "some difficulty restarting the plane" for the return trip to Everett. After "several tries," he was able to restart the engine. The pilot stated that he did not recall checking the engine oil pressure after restarting the engine. After takeoff on runway 34, the pilot "noticed that the oil pressure indicated 0." He reduced power and maneuvered the airplane for an emergency landing on runway 11. During the turn to final, the airplane "lost altitude," and the pilot attempted to stop the descent by adding power, but the left wing struck the ground. The left wing sustained structural damage, the nose landing gear separated, and the propeller was damaged. According to the pilot, about 6 months before the accident, "there were several incidents where the oil pressure failed to come up after a stop for lunch. After mechanics replace[d] the oil pressure relief valve, this had not been a problem." The reason for the loss of oil pressure on the accident flight was not determined.
The pilot's excessive descent rate and his delay in taking action to reduce the descent rate which resulted in an in-flight collision with the runway during an emergency landing. Contributing factors were the total loss of engine oil pressure and the pilot's failure to check the oil pressure gage after engine start which would have resulted in detection of the oil pressure problem prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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