Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
San Jose Intl Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
San Jose, California 95110
Wednesday, October 27, 1993 14:39 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN IN STORAGE FOR 10 YRS. IN MAY 1993, IT WAS REMOVED FROM STORAGE AND A CONDITION INSPECTION PERFORMED. THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE SECOND SINCE REMOVAL FROM STORAGE. AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS SEQUENCED FOR LANDING, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER HEARD A GARBLED TRANSMISSION FROM THE AIRPLANE CONCERNING THE ENGINE. NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE HEARD. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON A RESIDENTIAL CITY STREET WITH THE PROPELLER STOPPED. IT THEN COLLIDED WITH 3 TREES, A PARKED PICKUP TRUCK, AND THE STREET. FIRE CONSUMED THE AIRPLANE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DRAINED ABOUT 10 GALS OF FUEL FROM THE FUSELAGE TANK AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE DRAINED FUEL HAD AN ODOR AND COLOR SIMILAR TO AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE. THE ENGINE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY INSTALLED ON A TEST STAND AND RUN FOR 4 MIN 40 SECS. MAGNETO CHECKS WERE SATISFACTORY, AND THE ENGINE RESPONDED WELL TO RAPID THROTTLE MOVEMENTS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON(S). A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UNSUITABLE NATURE OF THE TERRAIN ENCOUNTERED DURING THE FORCED LANDING.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/27/1993 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1439 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | SAN JOSE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95110 |
| Event Date Year | 1993 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SAN JOSE INTL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1345 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 302 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SJC |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 56 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 12 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 31 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1461 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 27 1993 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1548 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 1:42PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9052C |
| NTSB Number | LAX94LA025 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | WITTMAN |
| Aircraft Model | TAILWIND W8L |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | TAILWIND W |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 9 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 26 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 2 |
| Airframe Hours | 1441 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ALFRED E. MCCAULOU |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 730 MANZANITA AVENUE |
| Aircraft Owner City | SUNNYVALE |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 94086 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ALFRED E. MCCAULOU |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 730 MANZANITA AVENUE |
| Operator City | SUNNYVALE |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 94086 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | WVA |
| Departure City | WATSONVILLE |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1400 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | SJC |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |