Ercoupe 415-C accident near Stockbridge, Georgia, May 31, 2000
On May 31, 2000 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Ercoupe 415-C, registered N2589H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stockbridge, Georgia (Gorden Bellah airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight collision with trees while maneuvering, which was the result of the pilot not allowing adequate altitude to clear the trees before starting a turn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2000 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Stockbridge, Georgia · Gorden Bellah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415-C · all 415-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2589H · no longer on the register · serial 3214
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was seen flying low over a private airstrip at an altitude of 3 to 4 feet above the ground. The pilot stated he was going 'to practice landing approaches.' According to the statement in the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, '...about two-thirds of the distance down runway 9, on this approach, he [pilot] pulled up, banked right, and his right wing hit the top of a pine tree. The plane crashed in the trees on the west side of runway 33.' The airplane traveled about 1,500 feet and came to rest in a tree.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 278 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 199 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,555 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1999; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4A0 at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Observation at 10:53 pm from ATL, 2 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.