Cessna 140 accident near San Jose, California, January 14, 2007
On January 14, 2007, a Cessna 140, registered N18WB, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara C airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive use of the airplane's wheel brakes, which resulted in a nose over during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2007
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara C · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N18WB · registry record · serial 8493
- 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 pilot reported that during the landing roll out he applied wheel brakes in an effort to exit the runway and the airplane nosed over. In a written report to the NTSB, the pilot indicated that "applying less brake" and ensuring that the control wheel was full aft could have "likely" prevented the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
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: 369 hours in all; 239 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Miller Aviation, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.