- Date
- May 6, 1990, 09:34 local (16:34 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1495VCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26796
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight, improper raising of the flaps after becoming airborne, and failure to maintain adequate flying speed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
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 failed to retract the flaps before taking off. After takeoff, she noted that the aircraft was not 'gaining airspeed or altitude.' The tower controller advised the pilot that the 'flaps looked wrong.' The pilot said she reached to check the flap switch, but could not remember anything about the accident after that. According to ground witnesses, the aircraft was climbing after takeoff with the flaps extended, then it stalled and crashed after reaching about 100 to 200' AGL. Subsequently, the aircraft struck a transmission line, a solar collector on the roof of a house, and a fence. An exam revealed the flaps had been retracted by the time the aircraft crashed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1495V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17263625
- Airframe hours
- 3,487
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Amelia C. Reid
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 27, 1990 · 12 hours before
- 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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 173 total · 16 in this make and model · 57 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV