- Date
- August 7, 1987, 17:29 local (Aug 8, 1987, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19870807046071A19870807046072A
- Case key
- 25417
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
A midair collision occurred abt 2.8 mi west of Palo Alto arpt (pao) as Cessna 152, N152SC, was on a left x-wnd dep fm rwy 30 & Mooney 20J, N5201Y was transitting the arpt traffic area (ata) fm se to NE & dscndg fm 2400' to 1500'. N152SC was on twr freq. N5201Y (on a traffic watch flt for a LCL rdo stn) had just been given a freq chg to san carlos (sql) twr to transit its ata, which was next to the pao ata. The LCL ctl psn at pao was being worked by a developmental ctlr (d/c) under supvn of the twr supvr. He didn't ident N5201Y on his brite radar. The supvr saw a psbl conflict developing & waited a few sec bfr issuing an adzy to see if the d/c would see & resolve it. The supvr then transmitted a traffic adzy to N152SC, but there was no reply. Abt 9 sec ltr, the 2 acft converged & collided. Neither aircrew saw the otr acftin time to avoid a collision, but both were able to lnd safely. The d/c had 8 hrs of ojt in that psn. The airspace was complex where 5 ata's adjoined each other; the variable tca floor segments ranged fm 4000' over pao to 1500' over sql.
A midair collision occurred abt 2.8 mi west of Palo Alto arpt (pao) as Cessna 152, N152SC, was on a left x-wnd dep fm rwy 30 & Mooney M20J, N5201Y was transitting the arpt traffic area (ata) fm se to nw & dscndg fm 2400' to 1500'. N152SC was on twr freq. N5201Y (on a traffic watch flt for a LCL rdo stn) had just been given a freq chg to san carlos (sql) twr to transit its ata, which was next to the pao ata. The LCL ctl psn at pao was being worked by a developmental ctlr (d/c) under supvn of the twr supvr. He didn't ident N5201Y on his brite radar. The supvr saw a psbl conflict developing & waited a few sec bfr issuing an adzy to see if the d/c would see & resolve it. The supvr then transmitted a traffic adzy to N152SC, but there was no reply. Abt 9 sec ltr, the 2 acft converged & collided. Neither aircrew saw the otr acftin time to avoid a collision, but both were able to lnd safely. The d/c had 8 hrs of ojt in that psn. The airspace was complex where 5 ata's adjoined each other; the variable tca floor segments ranged fm 4000' over pao to 1500' over sql.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N152SC
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280265
- Airframe hours
- 3,618
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Palo Alto Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Kondratieff, Cynthia
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 10, 1987 · 102 hours before
- Departed
- PAO
- Destination
- PAO
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto Muni, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N5201Y
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0585
- Airframe hours
- 9,197
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Durling, Lindsay T.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 5, 1987 · 245 hours before
- Departed
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Destination
- CCR
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto Muni, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N152SC
- Age
- 44
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,656 total · 1,225 in this make and model · 5,400 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N5201Y
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,070 total · 9,097 in this make and model · 9,890 as pilot in command · 223 in the last 90 days · 92 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N152SC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.