# Accident 19990623007489A: Cessna 402A, Van Nuys, CA, June 23, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 23, 1999, 14:46 local time - Place: Van Nuys, CA - Airport: Van Nuys Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Final Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: B4WA - Location: 34.1905° N, 118.4896° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.1905&lon=-118.4896&mi=10 - Aircraft: N186BA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N186BA-2007-07-12) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 402A (registry code 207590M, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-402a) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (registry code 17035, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-gtsio-520-c) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 402A - Reported engine: CONT TSIO520E - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,967 total, 670 in this make and model, 142 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99FA225](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA225) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990623007489A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE, AND ITS WINGS STRUCK TWO OPPOSITE-DIRECTION SCHOOL BUSES RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES TO ONE OF THE BUS DRIVERS, NO CHILDREN WERE INJURED, THE ACFT HAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, THE DAMAGE TO THE SCHOOL BUSES IS UNKNOWN, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN.(FROM .19) ON JUNE 23, 1999, AT 1450 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 402A, N186BA, STRUCK TWO SCHOOL BUSES WHILE MAKING A FORCED LANDING NEAR THE VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. THE FORCED LANDING WAS PRECIPITATED BY A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON A VFR APPROACH FOR LANDING AT THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE; HOWEVER, THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ONBOARD, WAS NOT INJURED. A BUS DRIVER AND ONE STUDENT/PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE REMAINING SECOND BUS DRIVER OR 45 STUDENTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED A POSITIONING FLIGHT BY SUNSHINE AIRLINES, INC., UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE LAUGHLIN/BULLHEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN BULLHEAD, ARIZONA, ABOUT 1330 ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. AS HE APPROACHED THE VAN NUYS AIRPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD INITIATED HIS DESCENT AND HAD LOWERED 15 DEGREES OF FLAPS. AS HIS DESCENT CONTINUED, HIS LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER. HE SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM THE LEFT MAIN TO THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE DID NOT REGAIN POWER. THE RIGHT ENGINE ALSO LOST POWER ABOUT THAT TIME. THE PILOT SWITCHED THAT FUEL SELECTOR FROM THE RIGHT MAIN TO THE RIGHT AUXILIARY TANK; HOWEVER, AGAIN, THE ENGINE DID NOT REGAIN POWER. HE RADIOED THE AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER OPERATOR THAT HE HAD LOST ALL ENGINE POWER AND WOULD BE UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRPORT. HE SUBSEQUENTLY MADE AN OFF-AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING ON A CITY SURFACE STREET ABOUT 0.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN ABOUT 600 FEET NORTH OF AN INTERSECTION, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED SOUTH UNTIL IT APPROACHED AN INTERSECTION THAT DISPLAYED A RED TRAFFIC SIGNAL. AT THE SAME TIME, TWO SCHOOL BUSES WERE APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION ON A CROSS STREET, BOTH TRAVELING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. AS THE BUSES ENTERED THE INTERSECTION, THE WING TIPS OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE FRONT OF EACH BUS. BOTH WING TIPS (MAIN TANKS) SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND EACH CAME TO REST WITHIN THE INTERSECTION. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO ROLLOUT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND THE PILOT BRAKED TO A STOP ABOUT 1,500 FEET SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION. THE PILOT SECURED THE COCKPIT BEFORE HE DEPLANED. AFTER HIS INITIAL DEPARTURE FROM VAN NUYS EN ROUTE TO GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA, THE PILOT NOTED THAT HE WAS RECEIVING HIGH OIL TEMPERATURE (ABOVE RED LINE) INDICATIONS FROM HIS RIGHT ENGINE. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN BULLHEAD CITY. HE CONTACTED THE OPERATOR WHO INFORMED HIM THAT ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WOULD BE DISPATCHED FROM VAN NUYS TO TAKE THE PASSENGERS ONTO THEIR DESTINATION. THE OPERATOR THEN INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO REPOSITION HIS AIRCRAFT BACK TO THE VAN NUYS AIRPORT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE DID NOT ADD ANY FUEL DURING HIS TURN AROUND AT THE LAUGHLIN/BULLHEAD AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE TOTAL AIRCRAFT FUEL CAPACITY IS 130 GALLONS, WHICH INCLUDES 50 GALLONS IN EACH MAIN TANK AND 15 GALLONS IN EACH AUXILIARY TANK. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD 130 GALLONS ONBOARD WHEN HE DEPARTED VAN NUYS. ON HIS RETURN, HE REPORTED HAVING 27 GALLONS IN EACH MAIN TANK AND 7 GALLONS IN EACH GALLONS IN EACH AUXILIARY TANK. HE STATED THAT HE ALWAYS CLIMBED AT 29.5 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND 2,450 RPM (ACCORDING TO POH PERFORMANCE CHARTS THE FUEL FLOW IS 36 GPH TOTAL), AND CRUISED AT 27 INCHES AND 2,300 RPM (24 GPH TOTAL). THE RECORDED FLIGHT TIME TO BULLHEAD CITY FROM VAN NUYS WAS 1.3 HOURS, AS WELL AS ANOTHER 1.3 HOURS ON THE RETURN FLIGHT. SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATORS FOUND LESS THAN 1 GALLON OF FUEL IN THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK AND LESS THAN 5 GALLONS IN THE RIGHT AUXILIARY TANK. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF RESIDUAL FUEL, FUEL STAINING, OR FUEL ODOR AT THE SITE OF THE SEPARATED TIP TANKS (MAIN FUEL). THE FUEL THAT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE AUXILIARY TANKS HAD THE COLORATION AND ODOR CONSISTENT WITH AVIATION FUEL. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE FUEL CONTAMINATION. (-23) THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED AS A REPOSITIONING FLIGHT BY A FAR 135 ON DEMAND AIR CARRIER. NO PASSENGERS WERE ON BOARD. ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 16R AT VAN NUYS, CA. BOTH ENGINES QUIT. THE PILOT LANDED ON A CITY STREET STRIKING TWO SCHOOL BUSES WITH THE MAIN (TIP) FUEL TANKS, SEPARATING THE FUEL TANKS FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND INJURING TWO OF THE 49 CHILDREN ON THE BUSES. THE MAIN FUEL TANKS SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF CONTAINING FUEL. THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS WERE FOUND TO CONTAIN TWO TO FIVE GALLONS OF FUEL EACH. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHEN THE ENGINES QUIT, THE AUXILIARY TANKS WERE SELECTED, AND THE FUEL BOOST PUMPS ACTIVATED. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER, THE AUXILIARY FUEL IS UNAVAILABLE WITH THE ENGINES NOT RUNNING AND THE BOOST PUMPS CANNOT MOVE FUEL FROM THE AUXILIARY TANKS. THE PILOT FAILED TO MANAGE THE FUEL SYSTEM PROPERLY. LESS THAN 30 MINUTES OF FUEL REMAINED ON BOARD AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT NEITHER SECURED THE FAILED ENIGNES NOR USED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST DURING THE EMERGENCY. (.4) ON JUNE 23, 1999, AT 1446 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 402A, N186BA, COLLIDED WITH TWO SCHOOL BUSES WHILE MAKING A FORCED LANDING NEAR THE VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. THE FORCED LANDING WAS PRECIPITATED BY A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON A VFR APPROACH FOR LANDING AT THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE; HOWEVER, THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ONBOARD, WAS NOT INJURED. A BUS DRIVER AND 12 STUDENTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE REMAINING SECOND BUS DRIVER OR 36 STUDENTS. SUNSHINE AIR, INC., WAS OPERATING THE AIRCRAFT AS A POSITIONING FLIGHT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE LAUGHLIN/BULLHEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN BULLHEAD CITY, ARIZONA, ABOUT 1328 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX99FA225](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA225), Jun 23, 1999: Cessna 402A (N186BA), Van Nuys, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate fuel management that resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent collision with vehicles during a forced landing on a city street. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.