# Accident 20000207000511A: Amtr QUESTAIRVENT, Sylmar, CA, February 7, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 7, 2000, 09:50 local time - Place: Sylmar, CA - Damage: Destroyed - Collision: Midair collision, first aircraft - Phase of flight: Initial Approach-IFR - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.3195° N, 118.3803° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.3195&lon=-118.3803&mi=10 - Aircraft: N869DG, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N869DG-2017-02-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Gray Daniel QUESTAIR VENTURE (registry code 05606V6, https://openairdocs.org/model/gray-daniel-questair-venture) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-550 series (registry code 17042, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR QUESTAIRVENT - Reported engine: CONT IO550G - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 150 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00FA093](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00FA093) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000207000511A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON FEBRUARY 7, 2000, AT 0950 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, AN AMATEUR-BUILT GRAY QUESTAIR VENTURE, N869DG, COLLIDED WITH A BELLANCA 8GCBC, N86801, NEAR SYLMAR, CALIFORNIA. N869DG WAS MANEUVERING TO LAND AT THE VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. N86801 WAS OPERATING AS PIPELINE 801 FOR CRUDE OIL PIPELINE PATROL AND WAS ORBITING OVER A CONSTRUCTION SITE NEAR THE POINT OF THE COLLISION. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND WERE IN CONTACT WITH THE VAN NUYS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE DESTROYED IN THE COLLISION AND GROUND IMPACT. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND PASSENGER IN N869DG SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND THE PASSENGER, WHO HELD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, IN N86801 BOTH 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, ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT. THE BELLANCA PIPELINE PATROL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT AND A COMPANY FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT OF N86801 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, WHICH THE PILOT VERIFIED. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS ORBITING IN LEFT TURNS AT 2,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) OVER A CONSTRUCTION SITE WHERE EARTH MOVERS WERE MOVING DIRT. THE CONSTRUCTION SITE'S LOCATION WAS 6.3 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT AND IN LINE WITH THE LOCALIZER (EXTENDED CENTERLINE) TO THE ACTIVE RUNWAY 16R. THE CONSTRUCTION SITE IS OVER AN UNDERGROUND CRUDE OIL PIPELINE. AT 0948, N869DG CALLED THE TOWER AND REPORTED IT'S LOCATION AS "NORTH OF SAN FERNANDO RESERVOIR WITH ROMEO" (SAN FERNANDO RESERVOIR IS A DESIGNATED REPORTING POINT FOR TRAFFIC ARRIVING TO THE AIRPORT AND IS IN THE APPROXIMATE VICINITY OF THE COLLISION SITE). N869DG WAS ADVISED BY CONTROLLERS TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 16R AND WAS GIVEN A TRANSPONDER CODE FOR RADAR IDENTIFICATION. THE PILOT VERIFIED THE CODE ASSIGNMENT AND THERE WAS NO FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH EITHER AIRPLANE. THE HIGH POINT OF TERRAIN IN THE ACCIDENT AREA WAS MEASURED TO BE 1,400 FEET MSL. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY RADAR DATA, BOTH AIRPLANES WERE ABOUT 2,000 FEET MSL AT T HE TIME OF COLLISION. (.4) ON FEBRUARY 7, 2000, AT 0950 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, AN AMATEUR-BUILT GRAY QUESTAIR VENTURE, N869DG, COLLIDED WITH A BELLANCA 8GCBC, N86801, NEAR SYLMAR, CALIFORNIA. N869DG WAS MANEUVERING TO LAND AT THE VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. N86801 WAS OPERATING AS PIPELINE 801 FOR CRUDE OIL PIPELINE PATROL AND WAS ORBITING OVER A CONSTRUCTION SITE NEAR THE POINT OF THE COLLISION. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND WERE IN CONTACT WITH THE VAN NUYS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE DESTROYED IN THE COLLISION AND GROUND IMPACT. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND PASSENGER IN N869DG SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND THE PASSENGER, WHO HELD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, IN N86801 BOTH 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, ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT. THE BELLANCA 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 VANNUYS AIRPORT AND IN LINE WITH THE LOCALIZER (EXTENDED CENTERLINE) TO THE ACTIVE RUNWAY 16R. THE CONSTRUCTION SITE IS OVER AN UNDERGROUND CRUDE OIL PIPELINE. AT 0948, THE QUESTAIR CALLED THE VAN NUYS TOWER AND REPORTED ITS LOCATION AS "NORTH OF SAN FERNANDO RESERVOIR WITH ROMEO" (SAN FERNANDO RESERVOIR IS A DESIGNATED REPORTING POINT FOR TRAFFIC ARRIVING TO THE AIRPORT AND IS IN THE APPROXIMATE VICINITY OF THE COLLISION SITE.) NORTH OF SAN FERANDORESERVOIR IS CONSIDERED THE NEWHALL PASS. THE QUESTAIR WAS ADVISED BY CONTROLLERS TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 16R AND WAS GIVEN A TRANSPONDER CODE OF 0237 FOR RADAR IDENTIFICATION. RUNWAY 16L WAS CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE. THE PILOT VERIFIED THE CODE ASSIGNMENT AND THERE WAS NO FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH EITHER AIRPLANE. THE CODE APPEARED ON THE VAN NUYS RADAR AT 0949:08. THE HIGH POINT OF TERRAIN IN THE ACCIDENT AREA WAS MEASURED TO BE 1,400 FEET MSL. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY RADAR DATA, BOTH AIRPLANES WERE ABOUT 2,000 FEET MSL AT THE TIME OF COLLISION. (-23) A FRONT QUARTERING HEAD ON MIDAIR COLLISION OCCURRED BETWEEN A QUESTAIR VENTURE (N869DG) AND A BELLANCA CITABRIA 8GCBC (N86801) 6.3 MILES NORTH OF THE VAN NUYS AIRPORT (VNY). RADAR INDICATES N86801 WAS MANEUVERING OVER A CONSTRUCTION SITE AT 2000 FEET ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 394 DEGREES AT 87 KNOTS. N869DG HAD JUST COMPLETED A DESCENDING LEFT TURN INSIDE A MOUNTAIN RANGE WITH SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 200 KNOTS ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 230 DEGREES ARRIVING AT 2000 FEET MOMENTS BEFORE IMPACT. N86801 WAS OPERATION AS PIPELINE 801, ON A DISCRETE TRANSPONDER CODE AND IN CONTACT WITH THE VNY ATCT. N869DG, HAD ESTABLISHED RADIO CONTACT WITH VNY ATCT, WAS ASSIGNED AND ACKNOWLEDGED A TRANSPONDER CODE, THERE WAS NO FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH EITHER AIRCRAFT. THE TERRAIN IN THE ACCIDENT AREA IS MEASURED TO BE 1400 FEET. ## Other aircraft in the event - N86801, Bbavia 8GCBC: [Accident 20000207000512A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000207000512A) ## 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 LAX00FA093](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00FA093), Feb 7, 2000: Gray Questair Venture (N869DG), Sylmar, CA, destroyed, 4 fatal. 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. ## Other reports on N869DG (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19991010030429I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991010030429I), Oct 10, 1999: Amtr VENTURE (N869DG), Corona, CA, Minor damage. (-23) The pilot reported landing at the Corona airport, Corona, California and after roll out, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft received minor damage.… 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.