Ercoupe 415-C accident near Saint Johns, Arizona, August 22, 2003
On August 22, 2003 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Ercoupe 415-C, registered N3182H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saint Johns, Arizona (St Johns 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 failure of the exhaust valve on the number two engine cylinder, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during the final approach to land, and an on ground collision with a ditch during the subsequent off-airport landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2003 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Johns, Arizona · St Johns Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3182H · registry record · serial 3807
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lost engine power and collided with a ditch while executing a forced landing to a dirt road. Just before the pilot turned on to an extended final approach to the runway, the "engine started hammering." The pilot was not able to increase the engine power enough to maintain level flight. He landed on a dirt road one and a half miles east of the airport. Upon landing, the airplane veered off a curve in the road into a drainage ditch, collapsing the nose gear. The airplane then nosed over on the other side of the ditch. Examination of the engine revealed a failed exhaust valve on the number two cylinder.
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: student
- Flight time: 25 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command; 13 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,659.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 2002; 103.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-75-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SJN Saint Johns AZ at 12:45 pm
- Destination: SJN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,323 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from KSJN
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.