Monterey Regional Airport

Runways

The airport covers 597 acres (242 ha) and has two runways:

Passenger

Allegiant Air is the only airline serving Monterey with large mainline jets, such as the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 that flies nonstop to Las Vegas. Allegiant planned to fly Boeing 757-200s nonstop to Honolulu starting in November, 2012; due to low demand the flight never started.

Historical airline service

In 1933 Pacific Seaboard Air Lines scheduled passenger flights on single engine Bellanca CH-300s, two daily round trips Los Angeles - Santa Barbara - Santa Maria - San Luis Obispo - Paso Robles - Monterey - Salinas - San Jose - San Francisco. Pacific Seaboard later moved its operation to the eastern U.S., was renamed Chicago and Southern Air Lines, and become a domestic and international airline that in 1953 was acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines.

Past jet service

The following airlines scheduled jets to Monterey:

Before starting 727 service, Pacific Air Lines served Monterey with Martin 4-0-4s followed by Fairchild F-27s. Predecessor Southwest Airways began serving Monterey in the late 1940s with Douglas DC-3s. Pacific Air Lines later merged with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines in 1968 to form Air West which was renamed Hughes Airwest in 1970 after its acquisition by Howard Hughes.

Golden Gate Airlines

Golden Gate Airlines was based in Monterey. This regional air carrier served over 20 cities, mainly in California but also in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Utah. Golden Gate operated Convair 580s, Fokker F27s and de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7s as well as smaller turboprops such as the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner and Nord 262. The March 1, 1980 Golden Gate Airlines timetable said the it was operating over a thousand flights weekly. The airline ceased operations circa 1981 after an unsuccessful merger with Swift Aire Lines which was based in San Luis Obispo, CA. From 1980 to 1981 Golden Gate flew nonstop from the airport to Fresno, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Stockton and Reno.

Regional and commuter airline service

Besides Golden Gate Airlines, several other regional and commuter air carriers served Monterey with turboprops during the 1980s and 1990s, mainly to Los Angeles and/or San Francisco. According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), these airlines included Apollo Airways and successor Pacific Coast Airlines, Mid Pacific Air operating as Reno Air Express (to San Jose), Sierra Expressway (to Oakland), SkyWest Airlines initially operating as Delta Connection and later as United Express, StatesWest Airlines operating as USAir Express, WestAir Commuter Airlines initially operating independently and later as United Express, and Wings West initially operating independently and later as American Eagle Airlines. Turboprop aircraft operated into the airport by these air carriers included the Beechcraft 99, Beechcraft 1900C, British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner, Handley Page Jetstream, Saab 340, Short 330 and Short 360 according to the OAG.

Mesa Airlines and SkyWest both operating as American Eagle and SkyWest also operating as United Express continue to serve Monterey with regional jet flights at the present time. Mesa Air operates Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets and SkyWest operates Canadair CRJ-200 and CRJ-700 regional jets. Horizon Air operating on behalf of Alaska Airlines currently serves the airport with Bombardier Q400 propjet aircraft which is the largest and fastest member of the de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 family of regional turboprops.

Accidents and incidents

On June 14, 1964 at about 7:35 pm a Piper PA-28 (tail number N5384W) hit trees in Monterey, California, killing the 34-year-old student pilot. The investigation into the fatal accident revealed that the pilot misjudged his altitude, flying too low and under the influence of alcohol. The crash also caused the Piper to catch fire.

On August 17, 1968 at about 12:36 pm, a Cessna 210 (tail number N9676T) stalled while landing at the Monterey Peninsula Airport. During the landing, the 48-year-old pilot suffered a heart attack, which caused his Cessna to stall. The Cessna was destroyed upon impact. The pilot had about 5,743 flight hours of experience.

On July 26, 1979 at about 9:43 pm a Cessna 320A (tail number N3005R) crashed during its final approach to Monterey. The 62-year-old pilot used improper Instrument Flight Rules operations. The pilot had about 3,621 flight hours.

On August 23, 1984 at about 8:51 pm a Cessna 320C (tail number N7AE) departed from Monterey under Special Visual Flight Rules with a 58-year-old pilot and four passengers. At about 8:55 pm Air Traffic Control advised N7AE to turn left to avoid rising terrain. The Cessna was unable to avoid the terrain, crashed, and caught fire; all aboard died. The investigation revealed that the pilot made poor decisions and did not follow instructions from Air Traffic Control. The pilot had about 2,041 hours of flight experience.

On July 27, 1985 a Piper PA-28-235 (tail number N15548) took off from Monterey to practice holding patterns over Monterey Bay. About twelve minutes into the flight, the 60-year-old pilot radioed Air Traffic Control, "Mayday, rough engine." The Piper disappeared from Air Traffic Control's radar at about 1300 feet. Later the United States Coast Guard discovered pieces of the Piper in the ocean. The investigation revealed that the pilot used improper procedures. The pilot had about 1,923 hours of flight experience.

On July 24, 1987 a Piper PA-32R-301T (tail number N82793) was cleared for an Instrument Landing System approach when the 39-year-old pilot decided to conduct a go around procedure. About thirty seconds after initiating the procedure, the pilot radioed Air Traffic Control, "Seven niner three, in trouble." Sixteen seconds later another transmission is broadcast, "I have, I have an emergency back here." The Piper was seen making a 400-foot descent below assigned altitude and disappeared into Monterey Bay. A boater who witnessed the collision reported seeing the Piper "dive out" of a cloud and colliding with the water. The investigation revealed that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and lacked instrument flying time. The pilot had about 528 hours of flight experience.

On September 8, 1987, at about 5:50 pm, a Beechcraft 95 (tail number N845B), being flown by a 31-year-old student pilot, was conducting multi-engine training at Monterey. The pilot started practicing Instrument Landing System approaches. During an approach for a landing, the Beechcraft crashed into the ground. The investigation revealed that there was inadequate supervision during the training exercise. The pilot and student pilot were killed.

On June 24, 1992 a Cessna 421B (tail number N628RJ), the 40-year-old pilot and two passengers took off from Monterey. About three minutes after takeoff the Cessna collided with a hill about three miles east of the airport. The investigation revealed that ground fog and overconfidence in the pilot caused the accident. All three were killed. The pilot had about 75 hours of flight experience.

On August 7, 1997 at about 8:00 pm a Grumman American AA-5 (tail number N6086L) took off from Monterey. The Grumman was later found 18 miles south of the airport. It had crashed into the mountains which caused the Grumman to catch fire. The 31-year-old pilot had about 4,000 hours of flight experience.

On October 12, 1997 at about 5:28 pm a Rutan Long-EZ (tail number N555JD) being flown by John Denver crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California. After taking off from Monterey the Long-EZ started its climb then descended into bay. The investigation revealed that the collision was caused by the fuel valve selector being in an improper position. Inadequate flight planning also contributed to the collision. John Denver had about 2,750 hours of flight experience.