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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2011 · about 8:23 pm local time · cases in 2011
- 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
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 16, 2013. 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 | Record of Conversation-mccourt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation-faa Monola | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot Flight Times | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Federal Aviation Administration Carburetor Icing Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1-FAA - Leftside View Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2-FAA -front View of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5456C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES 12,779 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 885 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12LA045.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.