- Date
- October 9, 1987, 14:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4085EPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871009059329A
- Case key
- 25882
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
The pilot stated that during the landing roll he was distracted and looked downward. He said that when he looked back up the ground loop had started and it was too late to correct it. He did not report any mechanical problems prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4085E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 187809059
- Airframe hours
- 572
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pageblair, Richard J.
- Registered owner
- Hall, Robert N
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special flight (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 23, 1987 · 111 hours before
- Departed
- RHV
- Destination
- RHV
- Airport
- Reid Hillview, runway 31L, 3,099 × 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 335 total · 204 in this make and model · 267 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 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.