Graff Wilbur C BEARHAWK N5456C

Summary

On 18 October 2011 at about 20:23 local time, a Graff Wilbur C BEARHAWK registered N5456C, operated by McCourt Dwayne E, was involved in an accident near Woodrow, West Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2011 at 20:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Woodrow, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.4567, -80.3958

Aircraft

Graff Wilbur C BEARHAWK

Registration

N5456C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

McCourt Dwayne E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Upperglade → Upperglade

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA045

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was flying in a slow-flight configuration for more than 20 minutes when the engine began to lose power. Although the pilot applied carburetor heat, the engine continued to lose power. The pilot made a forced landing on a highway and collided with a road sign and a ditch. A postaccident engine run was conducted, and no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were noted. According to the Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing chart, the weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident were favorable for the accumulation of serious carburetor icing. It is likely that the continued slow flight in those conditions resulted in the loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, and the pilot’s application of carburetor heat was too late.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.