Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD accident near St. Paul, Minnesota, April 21, 1985
On April 21, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD, registered N94740, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Paul, Minnesota (Downtown Holman airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- St. Paul, Minnesota · Downtown Holman · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD
- Registration
- N94740 · registry record · serial 4851
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE CLIMBING THRU APRX 700 FT AGL, THE ENG DEVELOPED A SEVERE VIBRATION & A LOUD 'CLANKING' SOUND. THESE WERE FOLLOWED BY A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. DURING A SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING, THE ACFT'S RIGHT WING HIT A TREE & THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON ROUGH TERRAIN. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE #3 EXHAUST VALVE, PN 3921, HAD FAILED NEAR THE STEM-HEAD. THE ENG HAD 1040 HRS IN SERVICE SINCE MAJOR OVERHAUL.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,591 hours in all; 1,591 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 1,553 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,788 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STP at 6:20 pm
- Destination: FCM Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,429 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:10 pm from STP, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CHI85LA172.