Piper PA-24-250 accident near San Jose, California, February 25, 2002
On February 25, 2002, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7604P, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview Of Santa Claraco airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate planning and improper fuel consumption calculation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 2002
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview Of Santa Claraco · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7604P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2815
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon exhausting the airplane's fuel on approach to the destination airport, the pilot made a forced landing on a street and collided with an automobile. The pilot subsequently reported that he had not refueled the airplane prior to departing on the return portion of a round-robin cross country flight. The pilot also reported that he had evidently miscalculated the airplane engine's fuel consumption rate. According to the pilot, no mechanical malfunction was experienced during the flight.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 2,306 as pilot in command; 50 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 24, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,562 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 2002; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Amelia Reid Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.