Piper PA-22-160 accident near San Jose, California, December 15, 2009
On December 15, 2009, a Piper PA-22-160, registered N9547D, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview Airport). It was a personal 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
A total loss of engine power due to water contamination in the fuel system as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2009
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-160 · all PA-22-160s on the register
- Registration
- N9547D · registry record · serial 22-6464
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane climbed to about 600 feet above ground level after takeoff and the engine experienced a loss of power. With unfavorable conditions ahead, the pilot opted to turn 180 degrees back toward the airport. The airplane touched down on wet, muddy grass and began to roll onto the asphalt. The airplane nosed over after encountering the lip of the asphalt. A mechanic took fuel samples from the fuel tanks as part of a postimpact inspection. Samples of fuel from the left wing tank, which was selected at the time of the accident, revealed that there was a significant amount of water present. The mechanic opined that the left tank's lower tank panel had possibly bowed up, causing water to be trapped around the sides of the tank. The pilot reported that he did drain fuel from the tanks prior to departure, but that he should have also shaken the wings to induce the trapped water to move down to the sump drains, then rechecked the fuel for contamination.
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
- Fuel contamination during initial climb defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Water/moisture › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,098 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,098 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 16, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 2009; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13R, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 WPR10LA083.