Beech C23 accident near San Jose, California, February 12, 2006
On February 12, 2006 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N3724Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara C airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper fuel system management and failure to select the proper fuel tank. A factor was the rough, uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 2006 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara C · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N3724Z · no longer on the register · serial M-2281
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After losing engine power in the traffic pattern, the airplane touched down hard in an uneven field during a forced landing short of the runway. The pilot had been on a local sightseeing flight. He tried to contact the air traffic control tower, but was unable to do so due to frequency congestion. He crossed over the airport at midfield, and was heading eastbound at 2,000 feet when the engine lost power. He turned back toward the airport to attempt a landing, and informed the tower that he had an engine failure and wanted to make an emergency landing. The tower cleared him to land on runway 31R. He entered for a short final below 1,000 feet and turned to the right toward the end of the runway at 500 feet or less. He overshot the turn to final for 31R, and felt the airplane stall while in a steep turn. He decided that he could not make the runway, and headed to a grass field near the end of the runway. He slowed to 60 knots, touched down hard in the uneven field, and skidded across a road. Airport operations personnel inspected the fuel tanks and found that the right tank was dry and the left tank had several gallons. The pilot informed them that he forgot to switch fuel tanks from the right tank to the left prior to landing.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 364 hours in all; 241 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 84 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,764 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2005; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 3,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from RHV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3724Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.