Ercoupe 415 N415WE accident near Lindenwold, New Jersey

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

NTSB analysis

The pilot rented the airplane, then flew to another airport to pick up a passenger for a local area flight. After departing with the passenger, they briefly returned to the airport to fix a headset. They departed for the second time, and shortly after, the engine abruptly lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a residential area, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe and serious injury to the pilot and the passenger. The passenger reported that during the flight, the pilot stated that "something was wrong with the throttle." The pilot later stated he believed there may have been a problem with the throttle connection. A postaccident test run of the engine verified the mechanical integrity of the powertrain and valvetrain. Although it is possible that the engine lost partial power due to an unknown problem with the throttle connection, this could not be conclusively determined based on the available evidence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA023 for the full record.