Amateur-built BREEZY accident near Gilroy, California, March 19, 1997
On March 19, 1997 at about 11:30 pm local time, a amateur-built BREEZY, registered N16KB, was destroyed in an accident near Gilroy, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delayed decision to reverse course while climbing into rising terrain, and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin which resulted in a stall/mush into trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1997 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gilroy, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BREEZY
- Registration
- N16KB · registry record · serial 953-24
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The passenger, also an airline transport pilot, reported that the pilot had fueled the aircraft to capacity before takeoff. The passenger was in the rear seat of the 125-horsepower aircraft as they climbed from takeoff toward a ridge line separating them from their sightseeing destination. They were climbing slowly up a canyon at low altitude when the pilot acknowledged that the aircraft was not climbing fast enough to clear the ridge. The pilot attempted to reverse course, but during the turn the aircraft mushed and the right wing struck a tree. The aircraft then cartwheeled onto the ground. The passenger stated that there were no mechanical problems with the aircraft.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 402 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 1996
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3O7 Hollister CA at 11:10 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 16 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from SJC, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.