N87294Engineering & Research 415-C

On June 13, 2019, at 0856 central daylight time, an Ercoupe 415-C, N87294, struck a tree and impacted terrain one mile east of Holly Lake Ranch Airport (16TE), Hawkins, Texas. The private pilot and his passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at the airport about the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated in Henderson (RFI), Texas, about 0830.

The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he and his granddaughter had flown to RFI where he purchased 25 gallons of fuel, filling the airplane to capacity. They were returning to their home base. The pilot said he could not recall anything about the accident except for hitting the tree.

His passenger told the inspector that they had just made the turn onto final approach to runway 9 when the engine started running rough and the propeller "slowed down." She said the pilot attempted to restore engine power, but to no avail. They both saw the tree. The pilot tried to pull up, but it was not soon enough, and the airplane struck the tree. The inspector said the tree was about 40 ft tall, about 550 ft from the runway threshold, and was situated about 70 ft north of the extended runway centerline.

The inspector noted that the right wing was compressed, the empennage was buckled, and the forward portion of the fuselage was bent. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The engine was later examined by FAA inspectors. No anomalies were found.