Douglas P. Serpa

Rockwell Grand Commander 680

On 12/3/85 at approximately 0830, the aircraft was found lying inverted in a canal adjacent to the airport where it had been on 24 hour standby for medical flights. Twelve days later, the pilot's body was also found in the canal. An investigation revealed the aircraft had been taken sometime during a period when the tower was closed between 2200 pst on 12/2/85 and 0600 pst the next morning, without the knowledge or consent of the operator. Main gear tire marks were found in mud where the aircraft had continued off the departure end of the runway. Beyond the end of the runway, the aircraft hit a fence and a 5 feet dirt bank, then hit the ground after being airborne about 200 feet and came to rest in the canal. Sheriff's personnel contacted friends of the pilot, who had spent the evening with him. Base on information that they provided concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages, the sheriff's personnel stated that the pilot would have been legally intoxicated. The overrun was presumed to have occurred during either a landing or a takeoff on 12/3/85.