American General Aircraft AG5B accident near Van Nuys, California, November 13, 1999
On November 13, 1999 at about 1:38 am local time, a American General Aircraft AG5B, registered N1195L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Van Nuys, California (Van Nuys airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's encounter with unknown and unanticipated wake turbulence from a heavy transport aircraft, which was landing at another airport. A factor in the accident was the tower controller's failure to repeat a previously broadcast wake turbulence cautionary advisory when the aircraft later checked in on tower frequency.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1999 · about 1:38 am local time
- Place
- Van Nuys, California · Van Nuys · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American General Aircraft AG5B
- Registration
- N1195L · registry record · serial 10095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The outboard 1/3 of the aircraft's left wing was deformed upward about 5 degrees with respect to the inboard section during an encounter with wake turbulence while on downwind leg for landing. The upper wing skins of both wings exhibited compression buckling, and the mass balance weights on both ailerons were separated and fell from the aircraft. The pilot reported that the flight was unremarkable until, while downwind for landing, there was an instantaneous jolt of sudden severe turbulence that ended before he could take any action. Data obtained from the airport noise abatement office showed that 2 minutes 23 seconds prior to the encounter, a heavy transport aircraft passed over the location on an ILS approach to another airport 6 miles away; the transport airplane was about 500 feet higher than the accident airplane as it crossed the location. The air traffic control tower at the airport where the accident occurred made a wake turbulence cautionary broadcast to all aircraft 30 seconds prior to when the accident aircraft first contacted the tower for landing. The cautionary broadcast was not repeated.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- VORTEX TURBULENCE ENCOUNTERED during approach - vfr pattern - downwind
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea, AME, ASE, IAIR, APLN, none
- Flight time: 6,068 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 5,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,022 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, December 17, 1998; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: D&S Aviation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: VNY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16L, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°C, dew point 46°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from VNY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX00LA035.