Cox William M BEARHAWK N3WC

Summary

On 29 January 2009 at about 21:00 local time, a Cox William M BEARHAWK registered N3WC was involved in an accident near Anahuac, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 January 2009 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anahuac, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.7604, -94.6697

Aircraft

Cox William M BEARHAWK

Registration

N3WC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baytown → Baytown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA144

3 people died.

A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers departed in a single-engine homebuilt airplane for a local sightseeing flight. Several witnesses reported that the airplane was "low" and "wiggling up-and-down or weaving side-to-side". They added that the engine sounded like it was "missing" or making "popping" noise before the airplane then disappeared behind a row of trees. The examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor's venturi throat and throttle plate were sooted and displayed signatures consistent with back-firing up through the induction system. The discharge nozzle was also sooted. Additionally, use of a carburetor icing chart showed the airplane was operating in the general area of "serious to moderate icing at cruise power or serious icing at descent power" at the time of the accident. A review of a video from a camcorder found in the wreckage revealed that the right seat passenger filmed part of the flight leading up to the mishap. A sound spectrum study of the tape revealed that the engine was operating at a constant 2283 rpm until the last 20 seconds of the recording. During the last section of recording the engine speed appeared to fluctuate between 2220 and 2500 rpm; however, it was not determined whether this fluctuation was actually the engine behavior or an induced effected caused by rapid movement of the camera during the recording. It was also noted that the video revealed what appeared to be a routine flight until the last moments of the tape, when the camcorder captured a quick change in the aircraft's bank, pitch (or both). The tape ended prior to the actual accident/impact sequence. Examination of the airframe and engine failed to identify any pre-impact malfunctions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.