Gray QUESTAIR VENTURE accident near Sylmar, CA
On February 7, 2000, a Gray QUESTAIR VENTURE (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sylmar, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 7, 2000
- Place
- Sylmar, CA
- Aircraft
- Gray QUESTAIR VENTURE · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.319°N, 118.380°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X20502
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 7, 2000, at 0950 hours Pacific standard time, an amateur built Gray Questair Venture, N869DG, collided with a Bellanca Citabria, N86801, near Sylmar, California. N869DG was maneuvering to land at the Van Nuys, California, airport. The Citabria was operating as Pipeline 801 for crude oil pipeline patrol, and was orbiting over a construction site near the point of collision. Both aircraft were operating under 14 CFR Part 91, and were in contact with the Van Nuys Air Traffic Control Tower while in class "E" airspace. Both aircraft were destroyed in the collision and ground impact. The airline transport rated pilot and pilot rated passenger in N869DG, and the airline transport rated pilot and private rated pilot in N86801 all received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight of the Questair and no flight plan was filed. The Questair flight originated at La Verne, California, at 0935. The Citabria pipeline patrol flight originated at Bakersfield, California, on the morning of the accident, and a company flight plan was filed. The pilot of the Citabria contacted the Van Nuys control tower at 0942, stating "Newhall Pass we'll be here for about 5 minutes." The tower approved the request and they assigned a transponder code of 0222. A subsequent investigation disclosed that the airplane was orbiting in left turns about 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl) over a construction site where earth movers were moving dirt. The construction site's location is 6.3 miles north of the Van Nuys airport and in line with the local
Probable cause
The pilots' inadequate visual lookout in visual conditions and class 'E' airspace. Contributing to the accident were the initial position report location and the approach speed of the Questair.
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Browse: California
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
