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Ercoupe 415 pilot reported a throttle linkage failure; and subsequent loss of power; which resulted in a successful off field landing on a nearby highway.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1565489 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201807 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Eurocopter AS 350/355/EC130 - Astar/Twinstar/Ecureuil |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Throttle/Power Lever |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 76 Flight Crew Total 2500 Flight Crew Type 100 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
I was PIC in an ercoupe 415D. We departed and intended to travel down the shoreline below the class B airspace. I noticed a decrease in engine power to 1500 RPM. I attempted to increase throttle and noticed there was no response to increased or decreased throttle movement. The RPM stayed at 1500RPM. I first suspected possible carburetor icing; but after applying carb heat; this was determined not to be a factor. At this point; the aircraft lost airspeed and began to lose altitude. I reduced speed to best glide and advised my copilot to find ZZZ tower frequency. I made a mayday call to ZZZ tower and he advised us to proceed direct ZZZ. I advised we were unable and would be landing somewhere along the shore. He advised us of [a nearby road] as an option. I began to glide toward [the road] for landing. Shortly before touchdown; my copilot advised me of a bridge ahead. Considering speed; altitude; and energy; I opted to fly under the bridge and touchdown just after the bridge. The left lane traffic opened up allowing us a clear landing area. I applied heavy braking and brought the aircraft to a stop. Both occupants of the aircraft were uninjured and there was no damage to the aircraft. [We] concluded the throttle cable had broken at the throttle arm on the carburetor. The engine was operating normally; but there was no way to control the throttle position which was near idle.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Ercoupe 415 pilot reported a throttle linkage failure; and subsequent loss of power; which resulted in a successful off field landing on a nearby highway.
Narrative: I was PIC in an Ercoupe 415D. We departed and intended to travel down the shoreline below the Class B airspace. I noticed a decrease in engine power to 1500 RPM. I attempted to increase throttle and noticed there was no response to increased or decreased throttle movement. The RPM stayed at 1500RPM. I first suspected possible carburetor icing; but after applying carb heat; this was determined not to be a factor. At this point; the aircraft lost airspeed and began to lose altitude. I reduced speed to best glide and advised my copilot to find ZZZ Tower frequency. I made a mayday call to ZZZ Tower and he advised us to proceed direct ZZZ. I advised we were unable and would be landing somewhere along the shore. He advised us of [a nearby road] as an option. I began to glide toward [the road] for landing. Shortly before touchdown; my copilot advised me of a bridge ahead. Considering speed; altitude; and energy; I opted to fly under the bridge and touchdown just after the bridge. The left lane traffic opened up allowing us a clear landing area. I applied heavy braking and brought the aircraft to a stop. Both occupants of the aircraft were uninjured and there was no damage to the aircraft. [We] concluded the throttle cable had broken at the throttle arm on the carburetor. The engine was operating normally; but there was no way to control the throttle position which was near idle.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.