Piper PA-22-160 N9547D
15 December 2009 · San Jose, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 December 2009 at about 00:15 local time, a Piper PA-22-160 registered N9547D was involved in an accident near San Jose, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Jose, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV)
- Coordinates
- 37.3328, -121.8197
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-160
- Registration
- N9547D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Jose → San Jose
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR10LA083
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to water contamination in the fuel system as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-22 | Tuskegee, Alabama, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-22-160 | Ogden, Utah, United States | Carl William Shepard | No injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-22-150 | Canyonville, Oregon, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Jul 2009 | Piper PA-22-160 | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2009 | Piper PA-22-150 | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | Bradley M. Gunter | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-22-150 | Saint Charles, Idaho, United States | Kevin Chambers | Fatal | 2 |
All 3,095 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172P | Livermore, California, United States | Wollard Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-38-112 | Ojai, California, United States | Aviation Pacific Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Fallbrook, California, United States | M.Y. Air Corp | No injuries | - |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Mooney M20E | Rio Linda, California, United States | David Michaud | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Nov 2009 | Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 4000 | Torrance, California, United States | Smith Richard Charles | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-24-260 | Santa Barbara, California, United States | Kris S Michel | No injuries | - |