Cessna 177 Crashes on San Jose Expressway, Injuring 3

Q: What hidden mechanical flaw caused a university flight club's vintage Cessna to plummet from the sky just moments after takeoff?

It has not been determined publicly. The known immediate problem was an engine failure reported by the pilot just after takeoff, but investigators have not identified a specific “hidden mechanical flaw” as the cause. The aircraft, a 1968 Cessna 177A Cardinal registered to Flying Twenty Inc., took off from Reid-Hillview Airport and crashed about three minutes later onto Capitol Expressway. Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot declaring an emergency and reporting engine failure. That is the strongest confirmed evidence so far about what went wrong in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board opened the investigation, and the material available does not show any final finding pointing to a defective component, fuel-system fault, structural problem, or maintenance issue. Reports also said drugs and alcohol were not believed to be factors. So the accurate answer is that no hidden flaw has yet been publicly established. At this stage, only the apparent loss of engine power shortly after takeoff is confirmed, with the exact mechanical reason still under federal investigation.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 20

Three people — two adults and one child — were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a single-engine Cessna 177 crashed onto San Jose's Capitol Expressway on Saturday.
Dashcam video showed the plane striking an overpass above the roadway before coming down; San Jose fire officials said no vehicles were involved and a minor fuel spill was absorbed.
FAA, NTSB and San Jose fire investigators are examining the cause, while local police told KTVU that drugs and alcohol were not believed to be factors.
The crash briefly shut down the area around Capitol Expressway and Excalibur Drive, adding to scrutiny of the low-altitude incident captured on video.