Gibbs LANCAIR 320 accident near Van Nuys, CA

On January 9, 2015, a Gibbs LANCAIR 320 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Van Nuys, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

January 9, 2015

Place

Van Nuys, CA

Aircraft

Gibbs LANCAIR 320 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

34.206°N, 118.487°W

NTSB ID

20150109X71237

Official records · WPR15FA081

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Audio File - Air Traffic Control (Ground Control) - Shelf Item: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Audio File - Air Traffic Control (Tower Control): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 9, 2015, about 1313 Pacific standard time, a Lancair 320, N7ZL, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Van Nuys Airport (VNY), Van Nuys, California. The commercial pilot (sole occupant) sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and was being operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was destined for Scottsdale Airport (SDL), Scottsdale, Arizona. The pilot contacted VNY ground control about 1308 and requested to taxi from the northwest side of the airport to runway 16R. Ground control cleared him to taxi to runway 16R via taxiways A and C. The pilot then contacted the control tower and requested to take off from runway 16R. The tower controller informed him to stand by for traffic. About 1311, the tower controller informed the pilot of traffic in the area and directed him to fly straight ahead to highway 101 and to stay below 2,000 ft if flying to Burbank; he then cleared the flight for takeoff. About 1313, the pilot reported very quickly but not very clearly that "I have an engine failure I think, N7ZL." The tower controller issued the pilot the current altimeter setting and attempted to contact the pilot but did not receive any further radio transmissions. The airport's crash response team was immediately alerted. Several witnesses reported that, shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 400 ft above the ground, they heard the engin

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to take off despite low fuel alerts, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, his subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which led to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at too low of an altitude to recover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distracti

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.