Cessna 152 and Mooney M20J mid-air collision near Palo Alto, California, August 8, 1987
On August 8, 1987, 2 aircraft, Cessna 152 (N152SC) and Mooney M20J (N5201Y), were involved in a mid-air collision near Palo Alto, California (Palo Alto Muni airport). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1987
- Place
- Palo Alto, California · Palo Alto Muni · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N152SC · registry record · serial 15280265
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N5201Y · registry record · serial 24-0585
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 152 final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Mooney M20J final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Cessna 152 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,656 hours in all; 1,225 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 5,400 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,618 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 1987; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Palo Alto Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: PAO
- Destination: PAO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,500 ft by 65 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
The factual record for the Mooney M20J from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,070 hours in all; 9,097 in this make and model; 223 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 9,890 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 1987; 245 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: CCR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,500 ft by 65 ft
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N152SC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX87FA296.