Boeing A75N1(PT17) accident near Huntington, West Virginia, November 18, 2024
On November 18, 2024 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1940 Boeing A75N1(PT17), registered N55464, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Huntington, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to utilize carburetor heat while operating the engine at low power and in conditions conducive to the formation of carburetor ice, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2024 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Huntington, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1(PT17), built 1940 · all A75N1(PT17)s on the register
- Registration
- N55464 · registry record · serial 75-272
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in level flight, the pilot reduced engine power to slow his airplane while waiting for a second airplane to catch up. He reported that the engine power was reduced for an extended period of time before the engine subsequently lost total power. The pilot attempted to land the airplane in a railroad yard; however, the empennage contacted a tree and forced the nose of the airplane down into the soft terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower right wing, fuselage, and engine mount. A postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. In an interview with the pilot, he stated that he may have encountered carburetor icing as a result of the extended reduced engine power setting. He also stated that he had not applied carburetor heat while operating at reduced power. A review of the carburetor ice probability chart showed that the atmospheric conditions were conducive to the development of serious icing at glide power at the time of the accident.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,869 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 12, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,855.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 2022
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo W670-6A (piston); 487 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I41 Huntington WV at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from HTS, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHTS 182251Z 20003KT 10SM CLR 17/10 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP154 T01670100
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N55464 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA047.