Cessna 425 accident near San Jose, CA

On March 6, 2002, a Cessna 425 (airplane) was involved in an accident near San Jose, CA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

March 6, 2002

Place

San Jose, CA

Aircraft

Cessna 425 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

37.181°N, 121.747°W

NTSB ID

20020308X00324

Official records · LAX02FA101

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Transcript of Radio Communications, Bay TRACON: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Transcript of Communications, Pilot Weather Briefing: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

1.1 HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 6, 2002, at 1035 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 425, N444JV, experienced a loss of control and a subsequent in-flight breakup at San Jose, California. The aircraft descended to ground impact in an area of rolling, hilly pasture land. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident sequence. The instrument rated private pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the altitude where the loss of control occurred. The flight departed the Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose at 1029, and was en route nonstop to La Paz, Mexico. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed, and the pilot had received an instrument clearance prior to departure. According to a review of recorded air-to-ground communications tapes and radar data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Bay Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, the aircraft was initially cleared after takeoff to climb to 13,000 feet msl on radar vectors to Victor airway 485. The controller issued a heading of 110 degrees, then told the pilot to intercept the airway and proceed on course. The communications tapes, along with recorded radar data, disclosed that the airplane was climbing at about 2,000 feet per minute (fpm) through 6,700 feet when it began a series of heading and altitude changes that were not consistent with its ATC clearances. The airplane turned right and climbed to 8,600 feet, then turned lef

Probable cause

the pilot's loss of control and resulting exceedence of the design stress limits of the aircraft, which led to an in-flight structural failure. The pilot's loss of control was due in part to the loss of primary airspeed reference resulting from pitot tube icing, which was caused by the internal failure of the pitot heat switch. Factors in the accident were the pilot's distraction caused by the air

More accidents in CA

• Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
• Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
• British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
• Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
• Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008

Browse: California · Cessna aircraft

See it on the map

Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.