- Date
- November 17, 1985, 18:21 local (Nov 18, 1985, 02:21 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N41309Piper PA28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851117057529A
- Case key
- 25018
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
While on final apch for San Jose muni airport at the end of a cross country flt, the acft experienced total fuel exhaustion. Plt diverted a/c to ried hillview airport & established power-off glide. On final for rwy 31R, plt said he realized the a/c would not make the runway & 'stalled the a/c' into ground obstructions to reduce the fwd speed at impact. FAA inspectors found no fuel in the a/c & no evidence of fuel leakage. A/c was airborne for about 3 hrs 45 mins. The plt planned a fuel consumption of 7.9 gph. Prior to takeoff at departure airport, a/c was fueled to the tabs, which gave a total usable fuel load of 32 gals. At 7.9 gph, 3 hrs 45 mins of elapsed time uses 29.6 gals of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41309
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7415166
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Timothy W. Tufnell
- Registered owner
- Norman Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1985
- Departed
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- SJC · San Jose, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RHV · Reid-Hillview, runway 31, 3,101 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 69 total · 9 in this make and model · 44 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.