Aircraft Went Down Under Unknown Circumstances

Pioneering Alzheimer's research scientist Doctor Leon Thal, 62, was lost last Saturday when his Mooney M20 (file photo of type below) went down in the mountains near Borrego Springs, CA. The NTSB is investigating the crash, but has issued no statements regarding the circumstances as yet.

Reportedly, Thal departed Montgomery Field Airport in San Diego bound for Borrego Springs shortly before the crash. Thal's wife notified authorities when he failed to arrive.

Volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol picked up the Mooney's ELT late Saturday night allowing searchers to pinpoint the crash site. Sheriff's deputies dispatched by helicopter found Thal's body in the wreckage during the early morning hours of Sunday.

Doctor Thal was the chairman of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego. He earned a medical degree from Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, and received neurology training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

Renowned in the medical community, Doctor Thal published over 500 scientific articles related to his specialty, and directed a coalition of researchers called the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study comprising 70 research centers in the US and Canada.

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**   Report created 2/7/2007   Record 1                                       **
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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

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov