- Date
- December 5, 1987, 09:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9309NPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871205069159A
- Case key
- 17343
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Several min after takeoff, the plt noted a loss of oil pressure & elected to return to the arpt. As he was returning, the eng began to overspeed, but he controlled the RPM by retarding the throttle. The wind was from 150 deg at 10 KTS. The plt was clrd to enter traffic for rwy 13L, but he elected to land in the opposite direction with a tail wind. While on a short final apch to land on rwy 31R, the acft ballooned & the plt decided to go around. Drg the go-around, the eng lost power. Subsequently, the acft collided with a utility pole, then crashed into a multi-family dwelling & burned. Oil residue was fnd on the left side & bottom of the fuselage. A teardown of the eng revealed the #4 connecting rod had failed. Only about 1/2 pint of oil was fnd in the eng. Due to impact & fire damage, the reason for the loss of oil was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9309N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R35009
- Airframe hours
- 3,285
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Christopher J. Verbil
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 30, 1987 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- RHV
- Destination
- 308 · Coalinga, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RHV · Reid-Hillview, runway 31R, 3,101 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 802 total · 105 in this make and model · 584 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9309N · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.