Amateur-built BEARHAWK accident near Woodrow, West Virginia, October 18, 2011
On October 18, 2011 at about 8:23 pm local time, a amateur-built BEARHAWK, registered N5456C, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Woodrow, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2011 · about 8:23 pm local time
- Place
- Woodrow, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEARHAWK
- Registration
- N5456C · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 1,320 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 250 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 19, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 580 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 2011; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Upperglade WV at 9:45 pm
- Destination: Upperglade WV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from CKB, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.