Boeing A75N1(PT17) N55464

Summary

On 18 November 2024 at about 21:30 local time, a Boeing A75N1(PT17) registered N55464 was involved in an accident near Huntington, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 November 2024 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Huntington, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.4340, -82.4108

Aircraft

Boeing A75N1(PT17)

Registration

N55464

Category

Airplane

Year built

1940

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntington → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA047

Nobody was injured.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.