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CHI07CA110

2007-04-21 · Brighton, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 45G

Current FAA registration · N99811

Make / Model
ENGINEERING & RESEARCH ERCOUPE 415-C
Year of manufacture
1946 · 61 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR A&C75 SERIES (75 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560524
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADF2F0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain proper glidepath to the runway. Contributing factors to the accident included the passenger vehicle, the rising embankment, and the airport perimeter fence.

Factual narrative

The airplane impacted terrain while on final approach to runway 22 (3,120 feet by 24 feet, asphalt). The student pilot stated that the airplane "was caught in a downdraft/wind shear and was not able to clear perimeter fence, even with application of full power." The pilot reported there was a small valley to the northeast of the airport which "probably caused the downdraft." An on-scene investigation revealed that the airplane impacted the radio-antenna of a passenger vehicle operating on the road adjacent to the airport. The airplane then impacted a rising embankment and proceeded through the airport perimeter fence, coming to rest short of the approach threshold. The student pilot was flying with an expired 90 day solo endorsement and did not have a medical certificate. The student pilot was operating the airplane as a light-sport pilot. A local weather reporting station reported the winds were from 260 magnetic degrees at 4 knots at the time of the accident. The airplane impacted terrain while on final approach to runway 22 (3,120 feet by 24 feet, asphalt). The student pilot stated that the airplane "was caught in a downdraft/wind shear and was not able to clear perimeter fence, even with application of full power." The pilot reported there was a small valley to the northeast of the airport which "probably caused the downdraft." An on-scene investigation revealed that the airplane impacted the radio-antenna of a passenger vehicle operating on the road adjacent to the airport. The airplane then impacted a rising embankment and proceeded through the airport perimeter fence, coming to rest short of the approach threshold. The student pilot was flying with an expired 90 day solo endorsement and did not have a medical certificate. The student pilot was operating the airplane as a light-sport pilot. A local weather reporting station reported the winds were from 260 magnetic degrees at 4 knots at the time of the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2007_CHI07CA110.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (wind shear). All research papers