Ercoupe 415G accident near Santiam, Oregon, January 20, 2001
On January 20, 2001 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Ercoupe 415G, registered N94432, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santiam, Oregon (Santiam Junction State 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 partial blockage of the carburetor main metering jet orifice by contamination of undetermined origin. Factors include a snow-covered runway upon which the pilot executed a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2001 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2001
- Place
- Santiam, Oregon · Santiam Junction State Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ercoupe 415G · all 415Gs on the register
- Registration
- N94432 · registry record · serial 5078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route at cruise power, the aircraft's engine began to lose power. Soon thereafter the engine slowed to idle rpm, and the pilot elected to make an emergency landing at a nearby snow-covered Oregon State Airport. Although the touchdown was successful, during the landing roll, the aircraft nosed over in the two-foot deep snow. A post-accident carburetor teardown revealed that the orifice to the main metering jet was partially plugged by a putty-like contaminant.
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
- Flight time: 180 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 2, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 2000; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 Independence OR at 9:35 pm
- Destination: S39 Prineville OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 3,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N94432 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Ercoupe 415 794 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Ercoupe 834 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Santiam Junction State Airport · nearest airport
- Independence State Airport · departed from
- Prineville Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,008 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA01LA040.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.