Pilot Dies After Missing Runways in Fog

A twin-engine plane crashed at Van Nuys Airport early Thursday in fog so thick the accident--and the dead pilot--were not discovered until more than four hours later, authorities said.

An airport security official found the crumpled Cessna 310 containing the body of pilot Robert Olson, 32, of Medford, Ore., at 5:35 a.m. The crash occurred after Olson apparently missed two runways and hit six parked planes about 1:20 a.m., officials said.

City fire officials said it was not immediately apparent if the pilot died instantly in the crash or later from his injuries. The cause of death is expected to be determined after an examination by the county coroner.

The airport control tower was closed for the night at the time of the crash, but an airport security officer noted at 1:18 a.m. that the pilot reported over a radio frequency that he was about to land. Two minutes later, the officer, standing at the northwest corner of the 730-acre airport, saw the plane coming in for a landing about half a mile away.

Within seconds, the plane was lost in the fog, and visibility dropped to almost zero, said Stacy Geere, airport spokeswoman. The security officer did not see or hear a crash and presumed the pilot had landed safely.

Olson was the last pilot to reach the fog-shrouded facility that night, airport officials said. Several planes had landed safely minutes earlier.

The plane carrying express packages left the Las Vegas airport about midnight and was scheduled to land at Burbank Airport, said Gale Webb, president of AEX Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., the plane’s owner. Webb said Olson was “a highly experienced pilot, very professional” who had been with the small company about one month. He said Olson was single and had no children.

The 9-year-old company, which provides express mail service among California, Nevada and Arizona using two planes, has had no other accidents, Webb said. He said he was surprised to learn that Olson tried to land at Van Nuys after Burbank was closed because of the fog.

Webb said the pilot should have flown to an airfield outside the foggy San Fernando Valley, such as Fox Field in Lancaster, where conditions were clear.

Mitch Barker, public affairs specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration, said Olson told air traffic controllers he could see Van Nuys Airport well enough to land there. FAA officials and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board declined to discuss details pending an inquiry.

The control tower at Van Nuys is unmanned from 10:45 p.m. to 5:45 a.m., when noise restrictions adopted in 1981 prohibit certain types of flights. However, pilots can land there at any time, a standard procedure at U.S. airports, FAA officials said.

After the tower closes, it is the responsibility of airport police to log takeoffs and landings--primarily to enforce the noise restrictions.