19 Jul 2011: CLIFF STARDUSTER II SA300 — NIELAND RICHARD H — SAN JOSE, CA

No fatalitiesSAN JOSE, CA, United States

A CLIFF STARDUSTER II SA300 struck a sign while the pilot attempted to cut a corner during the landing roll at San Jose.

What happened

On July 19, 2011, a CLIFF STARDUSTER II SA300, registration N411TM, was completing its final landing of the night at San Jose, CA. After touching down on runway 31R, the pilot attempted to cut the corner from the runway to the taxiway during the landing roll. During this maneuver, the aircraft collided with a sign that the pilot did not see. The impact caused substantial damage to the underside of the right wing, specifically resulting in broken and separated lower right wing spars.

There were no injuries resulting from the event. The weather conditions at the time were Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) with 10 statute mile visibility.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the pilot's decision to deviate from the designated taxiway and the failure to maintain adequate clearance from a sign.

Contributing factors

PilotDecision related to conditionResponse/compensation