Cessna 172N accident near San Jose, California, November 21, 1987
On November 21, 1987 at about 9:28 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N9568G, 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; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1987 · about 9:28 pm local time
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9568G · registry record · serial 17273631
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE CONCLUSION OF A CROSS COUNTRY INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, THE PILOT MADE THREE APPROACHES TO LAND. ON THE FIRST TWO ATTEMPTS, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE NOSE WHEEL AND PORPOISED, THEN THE PILOT INITIATED A GO-AROUND. ON THE THIRD LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO TOUCH DOWN ON THE NOSE WHEEL WITHOUT FLARING. IT THEN PORPOISED SEVERAL TIMES, STRIKING THE NOSE WHEEL AND PROPELLER. THE PILOT HELD A PRIVATE CERTIFICATE, BUT WAS IN A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR A COMMERCIAL RATING.
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
What happened, in order
- HARD LANDING during landing - flare/touchdown
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,504 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 7, 1987; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alps Aviation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: APC Napa CA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: RHV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31L, 3,099 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°C, dew point 46°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from RHV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX88LA055.