- Date
- July 19, 2011, 09:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N411TMCliff Starduster II SA300
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110719017219A
- Case key
- 81175
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 decision to not follow the designated taxiway, and failure to maintain clearance from a sign.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During the landing roll, as the pilot approached the end of the runway, he decided to cut the corner from the runway to the taxiway. He said the airplane collided with a sign that he did not see. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the underside of the right wing, and the lower right wing spars were broken and separated. He said that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was making his final landing of the night and had just touched down. During the landing roll as he approached the end of runway 31R, he decided to cut the corner from the runway to the taxiway and substantially damaged the underside of his right wing when the airplane collided with a sign. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions of failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The damage included broken and separated lower right wing spars.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N411TM
- Reported as
- Cliff Starduster II SA300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 629
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360 SER, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Nieland Richard H
- Registered owner
- Nieland Richard H
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 2010 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- KRHV · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- KRHV · San Jose, CA
- Airport
- KRHV · Reid Hillview, runway 31R, 3,100 × 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 320 total · 70 in this make and model · 240 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB in all.
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 N411TM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.