Cessna 172S accident near San Jose, California, November 8, 2015
On November 8, 2015 at about 4:40 am local time, a 2004 Cessna 172S, registered N21679, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near San Jose, California (Reid-Hillview of Santa Clara C airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll at night, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2015 · about 4:40 am local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- San Jose, California · Reid-Hillview of Santa Clara C · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2004 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N21679 · no longer on the register · serial 172S9648
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The newly-certificated private pilot conducted a local sightseeing flight at night with friends; he was not familiar with the airport. During the initial approach to land, the pilot performed a go-around. The pilot returned to land and, during the landing roll, lost directional control of the airplane, which subsequently exited the runway and came to rest inverted. A post-accident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane had been rented through a collaborative aircraft rental company wherein the pilot received a checkout in one location, and was permitted to fly the same make and model airplane at locations within the company's rental network throughout the country. Given his limited overall experience, landing at night at the unfamiliar airport and operating near the maximum gross weight of the airplane could have been challenging for the pilot.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,553.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 6, 2015; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 149 hours total
- Operator: Trade Winds Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 am from RHV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on February 1, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Operator | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Open Airplane Agreement | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Operator Open Airplane Agreement and Information | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1. Airplane Inverted Off of Runway | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N21679: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,679 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,688 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 2,644 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,069 since 1982 · 1,087 in the last ten years
- California 27,658 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR16LA024.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.