Cessna 172N accident near San Jose, California, January 11, 1986
On January 11, 1986 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733ZF, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 1986 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733ZF · no longer on the register · serial 17268673
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES AND A BUILDING DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A POWER LOSS WHILE ON FINAL APCH TO LAND. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING AT THE SWAGED BALL JOINT NEAR THE CARBURETOR. THIS FAILURE ALLOWED ENG POWER TO REDUCE TO IDLE.
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
- Flight time: 176 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 992 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 30, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bee Gee Aero
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 3,101 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 am from RHV, 5 miles away
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.