ENGINEERING & RESEARCH ERCOUPE 415-C — Corning, IA

What happened

The student pilot was returning the airplane to his home airport following the completion of an annual inspection. Although there were no witnesses to the accident, one person near the airport saw the airplane approach “low and fast,” and another heard the sound of an engine “revving” before hearing the sound of impact. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane impacted a powerline and a tree before contacting the ground. The airplane came to rest inverted about 500 ft beyond the departure end of the runway and was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire.

Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. Examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot’s logbook was not available for review, and his total flight experience could not be determined. Based on aircraft maintenance records, the pilot had accrued about 35 hours in the accident airplane since he purchased it about four years before the accident. The pilot did not hold, nor had he ever held, a Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate.

Given the location of the airplane and the information provided by witnesses, it is likely that the pilot was attempting to conduct a go-around when the accident occurred, and failed to maintain sufficient altitude to avoid obstructions at the departure end of the runway, which resulted in impact with powerlines, a tree, and the ground.

An autopsy of the pilot identi?ed extensive natural disease, including severe atherosclerosis of his cerebral arteries, coronary arteries, aorta, and kidney. Given the limited available information about the circumstances of the accident, whether the pilot's cardiovascular disease contributed to the outcome could not be determined. Toxicological testing detected the potentially impairing antihistamine medications diphenhydramine and cetirizine. Diphenhydramine and cetirizine independently can cause drowsiness and difficulty concentrating; combination use in elderly persons increases the risk of impairment in thinking, judgement, and motor coordination. It is not known whether the pilot’s ability to ?y the aircraft was impacted by his use of these medications as his level of ?ying experience was limited. The contribution to the accident of these medications individually or in combination could not be determined.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.