# Incident 19970216006469I: Mooney M20J, Palo Alto, CA, February 16, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 16, 1997, 12:10 local time
- Place: Palo Alto, CA
- Airport: Palo Alto Airport-Santa Clara Cou
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.3965° N, 122.1431° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Palo Alto, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3965&lon=-122.1431&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1064U, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1064U) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 SER A&C (registry code 41511, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- Reported engine: LYC IO360A2B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 556 total, 297 in this make and model, 8 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970216006469I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON FEBRUARY 16, 1997, A MOONEY M20J, PILOTED BY MR. HAJIN (HARRY) CHANG, LANDED SHORT OF PALO ALTO RUNWAY 12 WHILE ATTEMPTING AN EMERGENCY LANDING DUE TO A REPORTED ENGINE MALFUNCTION. MR. CHANG HAS STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED ENGINE DIFFICULTY DURING A ROUTINE PLEASURE FLIGHT IN THE GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY OF HALF MOON BAY, AND THAT HE CONTACTED BAY AREA APPROACH CONTROL TO STATE HIS SITUATION. BAY APPROACH RESPONDED BY PROVIDING MR. CHANG WITH THE CHOICE OF EITHER PALO ALTO AIRPORT OR SAN CARLOS AIRPORT, AND MR. CHANG HAS STATED THAT HE CHOSE PALO ALTO AIRPORT BECAUSE IT WAS WITHIN SIGHT. MR. CHANG STATED THAT HE LANDED IN THE MARSH INSTEAD OF THE RUNWAY BECAUSE HIS ALTITUDE WAS TOO LOW. AN ONSIGHT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMED BY SAN MATEO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY GREG PITLOCK SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT. DEPUTY PITLOCK'S INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ITS SYSTEMS CONFIGURATION AT THE TIME OF IMPACT INDICATES THAT: (1) THE EXTERNAL FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR LOCATED IN EACH WING DISPLAYED THAT THE LEFT WING INDICATED ZERO FUEL QUANTITY, WHILE THE RIGHT INDICATED BETWEEN 18 TO 20 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. VERIFICATION OF THIS QUANTITY WAS ACHIEVED BY VIEWING THE INDICATORS LOCATED ON THE FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL LOCATED IN THE COCKPIT. (2) THE FUEL FEED SELECTOR WAS IN THE LEFT TANK POSITION.  (3) ACTIVATION OF THE AIRCRAFT MASTER SWITCH PRODUCED A LOW FUEL INDICATOR LIGHT BLINKING FOR THE LEFT TANK. (4)  EXAMINATION OF THE WING FUEL FILLER CAPS REVEALED THAT THEY WERE IN PLACE WITH NO SIGNS OF LEAKAGE OBSERVED.  ON FEBRUARY 29, 1997, AN ONSIGHT INSPECTION AND ENGINE RUNUP WAS CONDUCTED AT PALO ALTO AIRPORT.  ALL INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE WERE PERFORMED BY A CERTIFICATED AIRFRAME & POWERPLANT MECHANIC FROM TOPGUN AVIATION OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.   THESE EVENTS WERE WITNESSED BY FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR WILBERT J. ROBINSON OF THIS OFFICE.  A COMPLETE INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT RESULTANT DISCREPANCIES. THE ENGINE RUNUP WAS PERFORMED AT VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS WITH NO DISCREPANT REMARKS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED TO ITS OWNER AND A SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMIT WAS ISSUED BY THE FORESTATED FAA INSPECTOR. THIS TERMINATES THIS INVESTIGATION AND THIS REPORT IS CLOSED.A COPY OF THIS REPORT HAS BEEN ISSUED TO THE OPERATIONS INSPECTION GROUP OF THIS OFFICE FOR THEIR REVIEW.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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