- Date
- September 9, 1998, 19:01 local (Sep 10, 1998, 02:01 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8245ACessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 22, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980909022889A
- Case key
- 43928
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 inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind condition and failure to maintain directional control
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 had been in the landing pattern with an instructor for approximately an hour. After his passenger arrived and took the instructor's place, he went out to practice a few more landings. He took off and made a normal 3-point landing. He retracted flaps, added full power, pushed forward on the yoke, and brought the tail up. Initially the airplane tracked straight down the runway, then began to drift and required him to apply left aileron and right rudder. As he adjusted to slightly realign the aircraft with the runway, it veered sharply and went into a grassy area off the runway and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On September 9, 1998, at 1901 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N8245A, sustained substantial damage when it went off runway 30 right and nosed over at the San Jose International Airport, San Jose, California. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot stated he had been in the pattern practicing touch-and-go landings with an instructor for approximately an hour. After his passenger arrived and took the instructor's place, he went out to practice a few more landings. He took off without incident, flew to downwind, and was cleared to land. A normal 3-point landing was accomplished and he prepared the airplane for departure. He retracted flaps, applied full power, pushed forward on the yoke, and raised the tail. After proceeding straight down the runway a short way the aircraft began to drift off centerline. The pilot stated he was correcting with left aileron and right rudder to bring the aircraft back to the left when it suddenly went off the runway. The aircraft departed the runway into a grassy area and overturned. Both wings were damaged, the prop was bent, the forward section of the fuselage was damaged, and the top of the vertical stabilizer was crushed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8245A
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25097
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank Mason, doing business as Squadron Two Flying Club Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gary Niva
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1998 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- SJC
- Airport
- SJC · San Jose International, runway 30R, 4,419 × 150 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 157 total · 16 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJC
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 N8245A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.