Perth Amboy BIRD BK accident near San Jose, California, May 30, 1994
On May 30, 1994 at about 10:13 pm local time, a Perth Amboy BIRD BK, registered N847W, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview airport). It was a personal flight 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 separation of the right main landing gear axle from the gear strut for undetermined reasons related to component age.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1994 · about 10:13 pm local time · cases in 1994
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Perth Amboy BIRD BK · all BIRD BKs on the register
- Registration
- N847W · registry record · serial 2049-29
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the touchdown on runway 31 right was normal. After a short ground roll, the right main wheel and axle separated from the landing gear strut and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The pilot said that to the best of her knowledge the gear struts and axles are original equipment items on the 1929 year model biplane. The mode of axle failure was not determined.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 42,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 41,000 as pilot in command; 40,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,532 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1993; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,980 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner K5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WVI Watsonville CA at 9:40 pm
- Destination: RHV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:16 pm from RHV
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N847W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Perth Amboy BIRD BK 7 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Perth Amboy 13 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Kinner K5 52 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara County · nearest airport
- Watsonville Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX94LA227.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.