Private Jet Veers Off Runway, Smashes Into Four Parked Planes
A luxury jet veered off the runway while landing at Van Nuys Airport on Tuesday afternoon, smashing into four parked planes before flattening a chain-link fence and slamming to a halt against a tree on the outskirts of the airfield.
The Gulfstream II was carrying three crew members and a passenger when it came down runway 16 shortly after 1 p.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda. There were no injuries, but damage amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, airport officials said.
The plane veered off the runway and skidded the length of several football fields across a grass infield and onto the apron, where dozens of small planes were parked, officials said.
Federal Aviation Administration records list the plane as registered to Trans Exec Air Service Inc. of Santa Monica. Those who answered the phone at Trans Exec’s office would not comment on the accident.
Airport officials said the plane left New York earlier Tuesday and stopped in Colorado.
About 20 Los Angeles city firefighters were called in to contain and clean up 300 gallons of fuel that leaked from the damaged planes as a result of the collisions, Ruda said. The mop-up operation lasted into the evening as firefighters surrounded the spilled fuel with foam and mounds of dirt.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
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