Amateur-built W10 accident near West Livingston, Texas, August 3, 2024
On August 3, 2024 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built W10, registered N129WT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near West Livingston, Texas (Livingston Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2024 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Livingston, Texas · Livingston Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built W10, built 2014
- Registration
- N129WT · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,150 hours in all; 60.5 in this make and model; 19.9 in the last 90 days; 16.4 in the last 30 days; 17,856 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 29, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 310.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 15, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 2,263 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HPY Baytown TX at 2:05 pm
- Destination: GPM Grand Prairie TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,704 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KUTS, 30 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KUTS 031453Z AUTO 30006KT 10SM CLR 26/25 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP166 T02610250 51008 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on November 14, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Examination Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Carburetor Ice Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photograph | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.