Feb. 7, Sylmar, Calif. / Questair Venture and Bellanca Super Decathlon

At 09:50 PST, an amateur-built Questair Venture and a Bellanca 8GCBC collided near Sylmar, The Questair was maneuvering to land at Van Nuys, and the Bellanca was operating as a pipeline patrol flight and was orbiting over a construction site near the point of the collision. Both aircraft were in contact with the Van Nuys Air Traffic Control Tower. The pilot and passenger on each plane were killed. The Bellanca pilot contacted the Van Nuys control tower at 09:42, saying, Newhall Pass. Well be here for about five minutes. The tower approved the request and assigned a transponder code, which the pilot verified. The airplane was orbiting in left turns at 2,000 feet msl over a construction site located 6.3 miles north of the airport and in line with the extended centerline of the active runway, 16R. At 09:48 the Questair called the tower and reported its location as north of San Fernando Reservoir, with Romeo. San Fernando Reservoir is a designated reporting point for traffic arriving to the airport and is in the approximate vicinity of the collision site. The Questair was advised by controllers to make a straight-in approach to runway 16R. Both airplanes were about 2,000 feet msl at the time of the collision.