Angel Flight pilot killed, 2 passengers injured, after Palo Alto plane crash

PALO ALTO — An Angel Flight West pilot was killed and his two passengers were injured after a small airplane crashed into the bay near the city’s airport. Air Traffic Control radio traffic indicated the pilot was possibly unfamiliar with the airport and had to execute a “go-around” and make a second approach at the airfield after he “came in too fast.”

Angel Flight West is a nonprofit organization that provides free, non-emergency medical transportation to children and adults with serious conditions. Numerous sources indicate the mother and daughter were being flown from Redding to Palo Alto – about 250 miles away – due to a surgery the daughter had scheduled for tomorrow, at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

After being pulled from the heavily damaged plane, the mother and daughter were rushed to Stanford Trauma Service. One of the victims was reportedly up and walking before being taken to the hospital, while the other was transported from the scene of the crash on a stretcher.

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This morning’s deadly crash happened just after 11 a.m., according to Palo Alto Fire Department. Just before the crash, as the pilot was approaching Palo Alto Airport for landing, he reportedly radioed that he was not familiar with the airport and would have to make another approach to the airfield after he realized his airspeed was too fast for a safe landing.

Shortly afterward, emergency dispatchers began receiving reports of a small plane that crashed into the bay.

After arriving at the scene of the crash, officials found the small, single engine plane just inside the bay. The lower part of the plane’s fuselage had partially sunk into the water but the rest of the plane remained above the water line.

Rescuers hastily used a ladder to construct a makeshift bridge, so they could better access the three victims inside the plane. After gaining access to the pilot and passengers, firefighters determined the pilot, reported to be a man in his 60’s, had succumbed to his injuries and he was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Palo Alto fire officials.

The plane’s two passengers, mother and daughter, Nancy Dellamaria, 49, and her daughter Chloe King, 16, survived the crash and were rushed to STS, just five miles away.

Photos later shared on social media by the involved agencies showed a small, light-colored aircraft partially submerged in water near the Palo Alto Duck Pond off of Embarcadero Rd.

Although the pilot has not yet been publicly identified, the plane – a 1992 Mooney M20J – is registered to John W. Spencer, out of Placerville, California. Various sources list Spencer as an Angel Flight West pilot who lives in Washougal, Washington with his wife and two children – ages 11 and 9.

In addition to volunteering for Angel Flight West, Spencer is listed as a Commissioner for Port of Camas-Washougal and a consultant at Pulse Consulting, a management consulting partnership between the victim and his sister, Kimberly Spencer.

Spencer is also listed as being involved with the Clark County Parks Board, Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal, Meals on Wheels, School Dictionary Project, and Young Men in Action – a 5th grade mentoring program. He is also listed as a former member of Camas Schools Citizen Advisory Committee.

Josh Olson, executive director of Angel Flight West, later confirmed that a plane operated by their organization had crashed. Olson was not able to provide any details about the victims or their current conditions.

Although Spencer may have been unfamiliar with Palo Alto Airport, one of his social media accounts listed several posts about previous Angel Flight missions, including his 50th flight for the non-profit organization in April, 2015.

In that post, made by Kelly Santos, the mother explained Spencer was her pilot writing, “We were his 50th flight with Angel Wings!”

“Angel Flight is amazing,” Santos continued. “My son and I are new to this..But our pilot John Spencer is not. A huge thanks from all of us passengers!”

In other recent posts, Spencer wrote about a “last-minute” Angel Flight mission last June involving a leukemia patient who was stranded in Redding and needed a ride to Hillsboro, OR.

“Thoroughly enjoyed meeting him (though his story broke my heart),” Spencer wrote. “And the weather/views (of Mt. Shasta) were stunning!”

In a February post, Spencer shared that he had flown an Angel Flight mission to Richland, Washington, with a woman undergoing cancer treatments and her husband.

“Racking up the good karma points so I can get away with more evil elsewhere!,” Spencer joked.

The crash, as well as rescue and subsequent investigation, are not reportedly affecting the airport, which remains open.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration have been notified and are reportedly en route to the scene of the crash.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.