Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-D accident near Belleville, Illinois, September 28, 1995
On September 28, 1995 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-D, registered N89331, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belleville, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the rupture of the oil pressure line which led to oil system exhaustion, the stuck intake valves, and the powerlines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1995 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Belleville, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-D
- Registration
- N89331 · no longer on the register · serial 3269
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE ABRUPTLY LOST POWER WHILE CRUISING AT 1700 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING TO A CORN FIELD. ON APPROACH, THE LANDING GEAR OF THE AIRPLANE CAUGHT ON SOME POWERLINES. THE AIRPLANE PITCHED DOWN, STRUCK A ROAD AND SLID APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED OIL STREAKED DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE BEGINNING JUST AFT OF THE ENGINE COWLING. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A RUPTURE IN AN OIL PRESSURE LINE LEADING TO THE NUMBER 1 CYLINDER. THE NUMBER 1 AND 2 INTAKE VALVES WERE FOUND STUCK OPEN DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION.
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: 747 hours in all; 439 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 718 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,744 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1995; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3SQ St. Charles MO at 2:00 pm
- Destination: H13
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from BVL, 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 N89331 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N89331: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,070 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N89331 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI95LA334.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.