Ercoupe 415-C accident near Alexandria, Louisiana, February 3, 2005
On February 3, 2005 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Ercoupe 415-C, registered N99452, was destroyed in an accident near Alexandria, Louisiana (Alexandria International Airpo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control while maneuvering to land.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2005 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Alexandria, Louisiana · Alexandria International Airpo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N99452 · no longer on the register · serial 2075
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While entering the airport traffic pattern on a left downwind, at the conclusion of a 213 nautical mile cross country flight, the commercial pilot lost control of the airplane and the airplane impacted terrain in a nose low attitude on airport property. A witness located on one of the closed runways observed the airplane fly over a tree line with no erratic movements. As the airplane descended, it "went into an approximate 20 degree nose down attitude" and impacted the ground. There was no fire. Flight control continuity was established throughout the airframe at the accident site. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine or airframe. The 68-year old commercial pilot had purchased the 1946-vintage airplane approximately 2 months prior to the accident and he had accumulated a total of 3.9 hours on the airplane. The pilot had been denied his last medical certificate following his last examination in 1978. All radio communications between the pilot and the tower operator were reported as normal. The pilot's autopsy did not produce any signs of incapacitation.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,175 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PQL Pascagoula MS
- Destination: AEX Alexandria LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 9,532 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft; ovct at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from AEX
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.