Plane Hits Planes in Failed Takeoff

A two-seater aircraft veered off the runway at Van Nuys Airport and crashed into two parked planes Tuesday. The pilot of the single-engine Bellanca Decathlon, who was alone in the plane, was not hurt. He told investigators he lost control during takeoff and, without lifting off the ground, traveled 600 feet east of the runway into a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza and a twin-engine Cessna 310, said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Tim Quinn, airport crash commander. About 50 gallons of fuel spilled but there was no fire. Quinn estimated damage to the three planes at $100,000 to $160,000.