Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD accident near Wahoo, Nebraska, July 18, 1999
On July 18, 1999 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD, registered N3859H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wahoo, Nebraska (Wahoo Municipal 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 pilot's improper starting technique which resulted in the inadvertent starting of the engine, with no one in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1999 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wahoo, Nebraska · Wahoo Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-CD
- Registration
- N3859H · no longer on the register · serial 4580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sat idle for a two months prior to the accident. The pilot reported the battery had enough power to rotate the propeller through only one rotation when he attempted to start the engine. He exited the airplane to turn the propeller in an attempt to '...get the engine at the top of its compression stroke.' The pilot reported he turned off the master switch, but failed to turn off the ignition switch prior to moving the propeller. He moved the propeller one-half of a turn and the engine started. The airplane traveled down a taxiway where it contacted a hangar becoming imbedded in the hangar.
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: 194 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-75-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AHQ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from OMA, 34 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.
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.