Fatal crash San Diego area

Skip Miller

Skip Miller

Final Approach
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Skip Miller
Do any of you have anything further on this crash? This is from a Feb 5 Newspaper article.

"Leon Thal, M.D., Distinguished Professor and Chair of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, and one of the world’s leaders in the development and study of new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, has been killed in a plane crash that occurred Saturday night, February 3. Thal, 62, was piloting the plane between San Diego and Borrego Springs, California. Cause of the crash is unknown at this time."

My wife is active in Alzheimer's research and education, and knew of Dr. Thal. He was a giant in his field. Sad...

-Skip
 
Skip:

I saw this yesterday. Let me check one other place.

Dave

The brother of a friend was reported killed in a crash "in the mountains outside San Diego as he was flying to the Borrego desert." He was the pilot, apparently alone in the plane. His name was Leon Thal and he was chairman of the University of California San Diego Neurosciences Department. No information on the type of aircraft other than single engine.

I found a short article here. I'm not familiar with the area. From the small diagram in the article, it looks like he was almost past the mountains, but I have no idea what the usual route would be for that trip.
 
Thanks for the quick responses, Dave. If you see anything about the crash itself, please post it, too.

-Skip
 
There is this from the FAA website:

********************************************************************************
** Report created 2/7/2007 Record 3 **
********************************************************************************

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 201RV Make/Model: M20P Description: M-20, M-20A/B/C/D/E/F/G/J/L/R, Mark 21,
Date: 02/03/2007 Time: 0215

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: BORREGO SPRINGS State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BORREGO
SPRINGS, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 0 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Cruise Operation: OTHER

Departed: Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: Flt Plan: Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:

FAA FSDO: SAN DIEGO, CA (WP09) Entry date: 02/05/2007
------------------------
and this from the registration:

N-number : N201RV
Aircraft Serial Number : 24-0256
Aircraft Manufacturer : MOONEY
Model : M20J
Engine Manufacturer : LYCOMING
Model : I0360 SER
Aircraft Year : 1977
Owner Name : THAL LEON J TRUSTEE
Owner Address : 402 BRIGHTON AVE
CARDIFF, CA, 92007
Type of Owner : Co-ownership
Registration Date : 10-Aug-2005
Airworthiness Certificate Type : Standard
Approved Operations : Normal
 
The rout from San Diego to Borrego Valley is via the Julian VOR. This is in the mountains just west of Borrego Valley. The mountain range is parallel to the coast line with the coastal winds coming directly across them.

My flight instructor insists that I have some decent altitude above the Julian VOR if there is any kind of a wind at all.

My guess is that this fellow was caught in a mountain wave, that would definitely put him about where the crash site was.

With or without a mountain wave, the updrafts and downdrafts in that area can be substantial. I used to take that area at about 1000' AGL, not anymore. My present instructor wants a minimum of 2000"AGL.

John
 
Leon was a famious guy. He and Dan Hartline taught us pretty much what we know about neural networks and neural individual cell physiology. He will be missed.

The laboratory model was the Sea Anemone. It has some really huge neurons.
 
John Baker said:
The rout from San Diego to Borrego Valley is via the Julian VOR. This is in the mountains just west of Borrego Valley. The mountain range is parallel to the coast line with the coastal winds coming directly across them.

My flight instructor insists that I have some decent altitude above the Julian VOR if there is any kind of a wind at all.

My guess is that this fellow was caught in a mountain wave, that would definitely put him about where the crash site was.

With or without a mountain wave, the updrafts and downdrafts in that area can be substantial. I used to take that area at about 1000' AGL, not anymore. My present instructor wants a minimum of 2000"AGL.

John
Click to expand...

If you have your prevailing westerlies, you can fly down the canyons no problem. I scouted most all this area when I first got my PPL in a 150 looking for black teepees in the ground. I still have some claims out there. If the wind is coming off the desert, yeah, it gets interesting.
 
Last edited:
TangoWhiskey said:
Huh? Black teepees? :confused: :dunno: Wazzat?
Click to expand...


What you do is work up the creeks panning until you start picking up more and more gold, then it drops off. Thats the valley line that has the vein, and you mark it with paint. Do this up several creeks then you go flying up the valleys. In the regions geography with the gold in quarts, it's black until you almalgamate it for the most part, there are some free milling veins as well. Anyway, where the veins make the surface, there is a black teepee on the ground, and you get a position on it (pre GPS) so you can come back pull a sample and have it assayed and see what it'll pay before you drill and blast (Hand/Hammer drill into quartz, 1 1/16" drill and a 5 lb maul.
 
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