Engineering & Research Ercoupe 415-C accident near Brighton, Michigan, April 21, 2007
On April 21, 2007 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Engineering & Research Ercoupe 415-C, registered N99811, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brighton, Michigan (Brighton Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain proper glidepath to the runway. Contributing factors to the accident included the passenger vehicle, the rising embankment, and the airport perimeter fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2007 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Brighton, Michigan · Brighton Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Engineering & Research Ercoupe 415-C · all Ercoupe 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N99811 · registry record · serial 2434
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain while on final approach to runway 22 (3,120 feet by 24 feet, asphalt). The student pilot stated that the airplane "was caught in a downdraft/wind shear and was not able to clear perimeter fence, even with application of full power." The pilot reported there was a small valley to the northeast of the airport which "probably caused the downdraft." An on-scene investigation revealed that the airplane impacted the radio-antenna of a passenger vehicle operating on the road adjacent to the airport. The airplane then impacted a rising embankment and proceeded through the airport perimeter fence, coming to rest short of the approach threshold. The student pilot was flying with an expired 90 day solo endorsement and did not have a medical certificate. The student pilot was operating the airplane as a light-sport pilot. A local weather reporting station reported the winds were from 260 magnetic degrees at 4 knots at the time of the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 103 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 45G Brighton MI at 5:20 pm
- Destination: 45G
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,120 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from OZW, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N99811 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.