Ercoupe 415-C accident near Blair, Nebraska, November 29, 2012
On November 29, 2012 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Ercoupe 415-C, registered N720RC, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Blair, Nebraska (Blair Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control due to physical incapacitation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2012 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Blair, Nebraska · Blair Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N720RC · registry record · serial 3658
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported seeing a low-flying airplane strike power lines near an auto dealership parking lot. There was a flash of light, and the airplane descended nose down into some parked trucks. When witnesses reached the airplane, the pilot was already deceased. However, none of the described injuries should have been immediately fatal. According to the autopsy report, the 92-year-old pilot’s death was attributed to severe coronary arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis (quadruple vessel disease). Arteriosclerosis was noted throughout the main coronary arteries. The pilot most likely lost control of his airplane due to an acute coronary event related to his underlying severe coronary artery disease and that he was dead before the aircraft crashed. Federal Aviation Administration medical records, however, did not describe any coronary disease. The toxicology report did not find any medications associated with treated coronary disease. The pilot’s coronary disease likely was undiagnosed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › Visual function › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 22, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,159 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 2011; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-75 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KSCB Scribner NE at 10:30 pm
- Destination: KBTA Blair NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from KBTA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN13FA081.