Tailwind W10 N129WT

Summary

On 3 August 2024 at about 15:00 local time, a Tailwind W10 registered N129WT was involved in an accident near West Livingston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 August 2024 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

West Livingston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Livingston Muni (00R)

Coordinates

30.6862, -95.0180

Aircraft

Tailwind W10

Registration

N129WT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baytown → Grand Prairie

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA301

1 person had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About 30 minutes after departing on a cross-country flight, the pilot heard the engine “misfire,” but observed that all engine instruments and temperatures appeared normal. The engine misfired again, and he decided to return to his departure airport. A few minutes later, the engine lost partial power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot elected to divert to a nearby airport. During the landing roll, the airplane exited the runway surface, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the reported weather conditions at the time of the partial power loss, the airplane was operating in conditions conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide power. The pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat and felt that application exacerbated the problem, so he turned off the carburetor heat and continued with the forced landing. It is likely the engine sustained a partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice and that the pilot likely turned off the carburetor heat before the ice melted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.