Erco 415-C accident near Ivins, Utah, March 9, 2001
On March 9, 2001 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Erco 415-C, registered N1121J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ivins, Utah. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing. A contributing factors was the carburetor icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2001 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ivins, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Erco 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1121J · no longer on the register · serial 3833
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said there was an intermittent loss of engine power during cruise flight . He suspected carburetor icing "since the Stromberg carburetor, standard [equipment] on the Ercoupe 415C, is prone to icing," and he immediately applied carburetor heat. The carburetor air temperature gauge indicated 10 degrees C. The engine "continued a pattern of power off/power on/power off in cycles of 4 or 5 seconds." He left the carburetor heat on but soon realized that his rate of descent left insufficient altitude to arrive at the destination airport. He landed on rough desert terrain, extensively damaging both wings and the nose and left main landing gears. According to the Carburetor Icing Graph, a temperature of 12 degrees C. and a dew point of 4 degrees C. [as reported by the nearest weather observation station] could result in serious icing at glide power, and a temperature of 10 degrees C. (as reported by the pilot) could result in serious icing at cruise power.
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
- Flight time: 424 hours in all; 314 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 375 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 12, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,393 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 1981; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1L8 Hurricane UT at 11:15 pm
- Destination: SGU St. George UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from SGU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 DEN01LA065.