Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C accident near St. Louis, Missouri, April 12, 1986
On April 12, 1986 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp.) 415-C, registered N2578H, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri (Creve Coeur 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 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 12, 1986 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Creve Coeur · 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.) 415-C
- Registration
- N2578H · no longer on the register · serial 3203
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTS THAT A WIND SQUALL PASSED OVER THE ARPT AS HE WAS LANDING. HE SAID THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED WINDSHEAR AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL ON FINAL APCH AND BEGAN TO SINK. THE PLT ADDED PWR BUT COULD NOT STOP THE SINK AND THE ACFT LANDED IN A PLOWED FIELD ABOUT 20 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. THE NOSE GEAR HIT A LIP AT THE END OF THE RWY AND COLLAPSED AFT DAMAGING THE FIREWALL AND FUSELAGE. NEARBY ST. LOUIS-LAMBERT FLD REPORTED A CB IN THE VIC AND A WINDSHIFT WITH WIND GUSTS TO 30 KTS AT THE TIME OF THE ACDT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 469 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,020 ft by 175 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 22 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:12 pm from STL, 7 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.