Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C accident near Stafford, Kansas, November 18, 1995
On November 18, 1995, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C, registered N93726, was destroyed in an accident near Stafford, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot misjudged his distance and altitude and flew into transmission wires. A factor was the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1995
- Place
- Stafford, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C
- Registration
- N93726 · no longer on the register · serial 1049
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the electrical power to the Stafford area went out at 1802 CST. The airplane was reported to be burning in a field 1/2 mile south of the approach end of runway 35 at Stafford Airport. Two transmission wires were severed and lying near the airplane. A third wire was struck but had not broken. A two foot piece of transmission wire had been twisted into a curlicue shape and was found at the first impact site. The propeller had chordwise impact marks. The controls and engine exhibited continuity. The twin tail vertical stabilizers had 3/4 inch impact marks at the same location on their leading edges. The severed transmission wires were 35 feet in height. The last time the pilot had logged night time was 21 months earlier.
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: 442 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 404 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1995; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3TA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.