Amateur-built RV-3A accident near Rosharon, Texas, October 9, 1996
On October 9, 1996 at about 11:45 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-3A, registered N3920P, was destroyed in an accident near Rosharon, Texas. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow procedures and directives in that he did not use carburetor heat and he did not periodically clear the engine during an extended glide. Factors were the carburetor icing weather conditions and the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1996 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rosharon, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-3A
- Registration
- N3920P · no longer on the register · serial 740
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was doing 'some formation flying and sight seeing' with a friend in another airplane. The pilot stated that he 'pulled the power back to approximately 1,000 RPM in order for my friend to catch up with me.' Approximately 30 to 45 seconds went by and the pilot advanced the throttle to discover that he had 'no power.' The pilot performed a forced landing and impacted a transmission wire starting a fire in the engine compartment before he got to the ground. After landing, the pilot immediately exited the airplane and the airplane subsequently burned. The pilot, who is also an aircraft mechanic with an Inspection Authorization, reported that he suspects that the aircraft's engine power loss was due to 'carburetor icing.' The temperature and dew point reported in the local area at the time of the accident place the ambient air well inside the possible carburetor icing area on an icing probability curves chart.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 612 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 1996; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SPX League City TX at 11:10 pm
- Destination: AXH Arcola TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from GLS, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.