Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) G accident near Pempbroke Pines, Florida, April 5, 1983
On April 5, 1983 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) G, registered N2175H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pempbroke Pines, Florida. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1983 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pempbroke Pines, Florida · 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.) G
- Registration
- N2175H · no longer on the register · serial 2798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE ENGINE LOST POWER. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE FUEL STRAINER WAS FULL OF WATER AND THAT THE CARBURETOR BOWL CONTAINED ONE OR TWO OUNCES OF WATER. DRAINING OF THIS WATER ALLOWED PROPER OPERATION OF THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT IDLE BELOW 1200-1500 RPM DUE TO DIRTY JETS IN THE CARBURETOR. THIS PROBLEM HAD EXISTED BEFORE AND WAS NOT RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC WHERE THE ACFT IS BASED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,036 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 3,009 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAL Lakeland FL
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from FLL, 10 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.