One killed in Palo Alto plane crash

One man was killed and two women suffered serious injuries Tuesday morning when a single-engine airplane crashed offshore from Palo Alto Airport, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department.

The plane, a Mooney M20, went into a wetlands area called the Baylands Nature Preserve near the airport at about 11:10 a.m., Palo Alto Deputy Fire Chief Geo Blackshire said. The plane settled in a few feet of water, the wings above the water.

Early indications are that the pilot was coming in from Redding and was executing a “go-around” at the Palo Alto Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. That is an indication that an attempted landing was aborted and that the pilot was circling to try again to land.

Blackshire described one woman as “walking wounded.” The other had to be pulled from the aircraft, he said. Both women were taken to Stanford Hospital for treatment, fire officials said.

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Gregor said.