Plane That Hit 2 Buses Was Headed in for Check

The pilot of a charter plane that clipped two school buses in an emergency landing in Van Nuys had made an unscheduled landing earlier in the day to unload his passengers because of apparent instrument trouble, the charter company said Thursday.

Pilot Michael G. Busch had reported “erratic engine gauge readings” aboard the 1969 Cessna 402A on a flight from Van Nuys to Arizona on Wednesday, prompting him to make a precautionary landing in Bullhead City, Ariz., Sunshine Airlines said in a statement.

The passengers were transferred to another aircraft and the plane’s owner, Sussex Aviation of Van Nuys, asked Busch to return the troubled Cessna to Van Nuys “for inspection and repairs if necessary,” the statement said.

“The pilot agreed to do this,” Sunshine said. “In the final minute of the flight as the plane was approaching to land at Van Nuys, one engine quit unexpectedly, and the other followed in less than a minute.”

Officials with Van Nuys-based Sunshine Airlines refused comment beyond the statement. A company official who refused to identify himself said the plane was headed for a sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon before it diverted to Bullhead City.

The Sunshine statement said the aircraft had sufficient fuel to complete the flight. But Matthew J. Fairshter, corporate counsel for Sussex Aviation, said a preliminary review by his company determined low fuel was the likely cause of the mishap.

“This didn’t seem to be a failure in engine performance,” Fairshter said, adding that the engines were new and had less than 80 hours of flight time.

The attorney said that the initial problem reported was with a gauge reading. Sussex asked the pilot to “ferry” the plane back to Van Nuys, a term used to express a specific procedure in which a pilot requests a ferry permit from the Federal Aviation Administration to transport a plane that appears flightworthy but may have problems, Fairshter said.

Busch, 27, of Rowland Heights, described by a co-worker as an experienced pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flying time, said he was advised by a Sunshine Airlines attorney not to comment.

But the pilot’s father, Donald M. Busch, said his son “always tries to do what is best. Based on what I know, I’m proud of him.”

The pilot appeared tired as he arrived home Thursday afternoon following hours of questioning by federal officials.

Additional details of the chilling incident emerged Thursday in the recollections of Judy Benavidez, driver of one of the two buses that narrowly missed colliding with the Cessna as it hurtled down Hayvenhurst Avenue.

Benavidez was driving four boys from Lassen Elementary in North Hills. The four special education students sat quietly in the school bus as it headed west on Parthenia Street, stopping at the traffic signal at Hayvenhurst Avenue.

Benavidez, 41, recalled looking right, then left. No cars.

She looked ahead. “Suddenly, an airplane was on my hood,” she said.

The driver of the other bus, Corliss Thompson, was treated for minor injuries at Northridge Hospital Medical Center after the plane brushed against her bus, filled with 42 students from Parthenia Street Elementary School. Authorities said Thompson declined to comment and was resting on Thursday.

Benavidez said she suffered bruises and sore muscles. Recovering in her Reseda home Thursday afternoon, Benavidez said she couldn’t remember what color the plane was or what the crash sounded like. Nothing mattered but “my children.”

After the collision, Benavidez first made sure no one was injured and then notified her dispatcher by radio.

“We just got hit by an airplane, so I guess we’re not going anywhere,” she told her passengers. “Here comes the Fire Department. Here comes the police.”

At Parthenia Street School in North Hills, students dressed in their best clothes carried plates of pink-frosted cupcakes and pretty presents wrapped with big bows. Thursday was the last day of school, and all anyone seemed to care about were classroom parties and hugging teachers goodbye.

The Los Angeles Unified School District deployed a team of nurses, psychologists and counselors to the school. However, administrators said no students or parents appeared traumatized. Counselors said it was fortunate that students had the festivities to focus on.

Johayra Villatoro, 10, said being in the bus accident scared her and made her lose her appetite that night.

“My mom almost cried,” the fourth-grader said. “. . . My mom took me home and made me food. I was so scared my appetite was gone.”

Alarmed by the accident and other recent forced landings, Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs called for a comprehensive review of operations at city-owned Van Nuys Airport and for recommendations on possible ways to improve safety for the surrounding communities.

In particular, Wachs said he wants a review of whether police and traffic officers can be more quickly warned about incoming aircraft with problems so streets can be cleared for forced landings.

“We have to look at the whole operation to see what can be done,” said Wachs, whose district includes most of the airport. “This is happening all too frequently, where planes are landing on streets. It could have been a disaster yesterday.”

Wachs said he will introduce a formal motion in the City Council today asking for a review of emergency procedures at the airport.

The city has already designated two large open areas as emergency landing spots for pilots in trouble, including a sod farm just east of where the pilot landed Wednesday, according to Stacy Geere, a spokeswoman for the airport.

The other one is Van Nuys Golf Course, just south of the airport.

Geere defended Van Nuys Airport’s safety record. She said there have been 22 accidents in the 10 years through 1998, including two fatalities and 12 injuries, a fraction of the 5.5-million takeoffs and landings during that period.

“Van Nuys has a reputation for being a very safe airport,” she said.

Gerald Silver of Encino, president of the group Stop The Noise!, said the only real answer to the safety question is to curtail operations at the airfield, which is the busiest general aviation airport in the country.

“An airport with over half a million operations a year doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood,” Silver said. “Accidents are going to happen. It was just pure luck that there weren’t several fatalities Wednesday.”

*

Times staff writers Patrick McGreevy, Jeffrey Gettleman and Roberto J. Manzano contributed to this story.