History of Flight
On September 4, 2018, at about 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N701JM, was substantially damaged when it crashed in Palo Alto, California. The pilot was fatally injured, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and another passenger received minor injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal Angel Flight mission, transporting a patient from Redding Municipal Airport (RDD) to Palo Alto Airport (PAO). The airplane departed RDD at about 0924.
Approximately seven minutes before landing, the pilot contacted the PAO tower. The controller cleared the pilot for a left base to runway 13 and directed him to fly to the KGO waypoint. The pilot, unfamiliar with KGO, received guidance. About three minutes later, the pilot reported difficulty locating the airport; the controller provided a heading. The pilot sighted the airport but shortly radioed, "I'm gonna have to abort this and go around." He declined assistance, stating, "I just came in too fast." The accident occurred about 20 seconds later.
GPS data showed the airplane on final approach at about 550 ft altitude with groundspeed initially 81-84 knots, increasing to 86 knots, then decreasing to 73 knots. The runway 13 PAPI, set at a 4° slope, indicated the airplane was below the approach path for most of the approach.
A flight instructor and student on a parallel taxiway observed the airplane touch down and begin to porpoise, oscillating in pitch 3-4 times. They then saw it lift off, landing gear retract, and enter a steep left bank (70°-80°) at 150-200 ft, with the nose pitching sharply down (about 60°), descending rapidly and reversing course.
Personnel Information
The pilot's logbook indicated about 16 hours of dual instruction and 22 hours of pilot-in-command time in the accident airplane, with no recorded practice of takeoffs, landings, go-arounds, or balked landings. He had previously flown to PAO 18 times in a Cirrus SR22 and 10 times in a Piper PA-28-236. The accident flight was his fourth to PAO in the Mooney.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GTN750 GPS navigator, installed in 2013. Weight and balance calculations placed the airplane's weight between 2,621 and 2,693 lbs, within limits, with the center of gravity near the aft limit. The pilot's operating handbook specified approach speed of 74 knots at 2,600 lbs, flaps full down for landing, and takeoff flaps at 15°. Go-around procedures called for full power, liftoff at 65 knots, and sequential flap retraction, with a caution about timely nose-down trimming to counteract pitch-up moments.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane came to rest about 600 ft beyond the runway 31 threshold and 600 ft left of the extended centerline, in about 1 ft of tidal salt water. Ground scars included a broken fence, gouges, and slices in the mud. The engine and propeller were partially separated; both propeller blades showed moderate deformation consistent with power at impact. No pre-impact anomalies were found. The cockpit was crushed; the landing gear, flaps, and speedbrakes were retracted. The fuel selector was set to the right tank, which was empty; the left tank contained about 16 gallons. The pitch trim was slightly nose-down from the normal takeoff setting.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot's cause of death was multiple injuries. Toxicology detected Tamsulosin, a medication generally acceptable for airmen except those exposed to aerobatic flight or sustained acceleration.
Organizational Information
Angel Flight West (AFW) arranged the flight. AFW conducts initial pilot orientation but relies on self-affirmation of qualifications and FAA oversight; no additional checks were performed after initial orientation. Following the accident, AFW enhanced its safety management system, adding a paid safety officer.