Cessna 152 accident near San Jose, California, October 4, 2004
On October 4, 2004 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24373, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2004 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24373 · registry record · serial 15280240
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on the downwind leg for landing runway 31L when a bird collided with its right wing. During an instructional local flight, the tower controller cleared the certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student to land. While abeam the numbers, a bird collided with the airplane's right wing. The CFI stated that neither he nor the student saw what kind of bird it was. They only saw a flash of the bird's wing. The CFI could tell that there was damage to the right wing, but the airplane appeared to be controllable. The CFI took control of the airplane and landed on runway 31L. After landing and clearing the runway they informed the tower of the bird strike. The damage to the leading edge of the right wing was approximately 2 feet across with about 8 to 12 inches of crushing on the longitudinal axes of the wing.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,222 hours in all; 771 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31L
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.