- Date
- December 27, 1986, 06:32 local (14:32 UTC)
- Place
- East Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N111FCBeech E-55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861227072269A
- Case key
- 25365
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot and 5 passengers departed for a planned vacation in Mexico in dark night conditions. The aircraft was observedto depart from runway 30, turn from the crosswind to the downwind leg and the aircraft 'lost altitude rapidly' and impacted in the san francisco bay. A pilot who is familiar with the Palo Alto airport stated that when making a right crosswind from runway 30 'the bay waters and the horizon can blend as one.' The pilot must 'reference flight instrumentsfor a short period. It can catch a pilot by surprise.' The pilot received his instrument rating in 1975. No record of instrument currency could be found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111FC
- Reported as
- Beech E-55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TE-783
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-C, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steven M. Jacobs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAO
- Destination
- TIJ · Tijuana
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,870 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.