Posted on 01/12/2007 4:58:31 PM PST by CAWats
A small business jet crashed while taking off from Van Nuys Airport on Friday, killing two people, federal officials said. A witness said the door of a nose compartment on the plane was open as it took off.
The plane had been carrying only its two crew members when it went down around 11 a.m., said Joe Miller, a dispatcher with Sun Quest Executive Air Charter, which operated the plane. Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said two bodies were located in the burned wreckage.
The plane's left-hand nose baggage door was "wide open" as it took off, and the jet was veering side-to-side at a low speed, said witness Steve Purwin, a corporate jet pilot with 25 years experience.
"He was right on the verge of stall," Purwin said.
The plane then banked to its right before crashing, he said.
Little remained of twin-engine Cessna Citation but smoldering debris in a field near the San Fernando Valley airport. No nearby structures appeared to be damaged.
The plane had been leaving the airport in the Los Angeles suburbs, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. It was headed to Long Beach, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.
Depending on the model, a Citation can hold four to eight passengers, plus two pilots.
Van Nuys is the busiest general aviation airport in the nation, with an average of nearly 500,000 takeoffs and landings annually. It is owned by the city's Los Angeles World Airports department and used by private, corporate, charter, flight instruction and maintenance operations.
The Drudge Report had a video link to footage of the crash but it led to a video report on the Galaxys acquisition of the Beckham guy.
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Apparently, times change. Last thing I heard, John Wayne/Orange County was the nation's busiest GA airport. I used to enjoy flying into there on Golden West's Twin Otter -- instead of driving over from LAX when I was speaking at electronics conferences in Anaheim...
Always enjoyed the "jump" takeoff from LAX and the great view as we flew down the coast -- right over the moored Queen and the hangar for the Spruce Goose...
I hate it when that happens.
Is there a special Darwin Award category for pilots?
It is right across the street from two bars.
John Wayne isnt GA
That's not very fair nor even nice. The man possibly made a simple oversight. It may have been a faulty latch or something inside could have burst it for all we know.
If it was an oversight, it was one in 25 years of safe flying. The nature of air travel is so unforgiving that he paid for it with his life. He may have trusted that the other passenger secured the door.
You have never forgotten anything ever not even once in your whole life?
RIP Pilot, my condolences to the families.
No Darwin award, but one for you for crass lack of decency.
>Is there a special Darwin Award category for pilots?<
Would like to ask those in the know, I have the contact points in my address book for you.
tel (800)529-7595
email- charter@sunquestexec.com
I'll call the Captain tomorrow and find out if an a**hole called asking your question.
http://www.onesixright.com/
Great Aviation film on Van Nuys Airport and some planes that are stored there.
aviation ping... Crash at VNY
No but You have won the Darwin Award for a bone headed post
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I started flying into the airport in the latter 70's, when it was called, "Orange County". Before I stopped speaking at NEPCON. ISHM. IEPS, IEEE, etc., etc. at Anaheim in the 80's, the name changed to, "John Wayne". Believe me -- at that time, it had heavy (I was told "the nation's heaviest") GA traffic...
Growing up I remember during the brush fires when the CANG C130s would take off and land at Van Nuys on Sunday afternoons....before they moved the unit to Pt. Hueneme
That was one of my fondest memories, sitting there watching them some in on 16R. Better yet if a Southern Pacific freight train passed by too.
Correct. I learned to fly at Orange County (despite what the Board of Stupervisors says, I refuse to call it ''John Wayne'' because the Duke vehemently opposed it) ... VNY has a higher number of GA flights than SNA, but GA is still very much alive and well at SNA.
Just got this from a friend:
http://flightaware.com/news/story/68
There's more info here than in the regular media.
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