Malibu resident Arthur Miles Newman died after he attempted to land his plane at Van Nuys airport on Tues., Aug. 4; he was pronounced dead at the scene the LA County Coroner confirmed.
Newman, 78, had reported to air traffic control that he heard banging noises while flying. According to audio Van Nuys airport released to CBS, a controller responded, reporting that “[his] left main gear appears to be dangling.” The controller asked if he wanted to attempt landing at Van Nuys but it was “[his] discretion.”
“Before they could clear him to land, he turned really hard to the left and was sideways,” Airborne Traffic Reporter Desmond Shaw told CBS. “He started losing altitude, and my pilot was like, ‘He’s going to crash. He’s going to crash’ … He just nosedived, slammed into an industrial building. It all happened in about 15 seconds.”