Narrative:

I'm sending this report to inform you of a frightening experience near vny. It was reported by several area residents as aerobatics over their houses. I was en route from fresno/chandler to catalina island for the movie XXXX. My airplane is a 1928 small aircraft 1 biplane. I was followed by another biplane, a 1930's small aircraft 2 from santa paula. Since I have no electrical system, and no radio, and the small aircraft 2 a very limited radio, we had prearranged with the vny tower an approximately time to enter right downwind for 16R, which we did, and waited for a green light from the tower. Approximately abeam the tower at pattern altitude, 2000 ft MSL, my plane went into an instant vertical dive, then flipped inverted. I was staring down at the rooftops and swimming pools. I couldn't believe this had happened or how it happened so quickly, but I knew I was dead and waited for the crash. After a few seconds, I yanked back on the stick and pulled the plane through unbelievable G forces to the right side up at about tree level, gave it power and climbed back up to pattern altitude. The small aircraft 2, diving his plane to see where we had disappeared to, saw us upside down, all landing gear and wings, and he also waited for the crash. After I gained control of the airplane, he made contact with the tower. I followed him as a flight of 2 and we landed at vny. The airport police drove up to where we were gassing up the planes and said 4-5 people had called in to report 2 biplanes doing aerobatics over their houses. I can assure anyone, I have never done aerobatics with my plane, don't even know how, and certainly would never attempt a dive and inverted flight on downwind at 1000 ft off the ground. The only explanation we came up with was possible wingtip vortices from a jet that crossed overhead earlier, or another plane or some type of wind disturbance. My plane has very large wing surface, flies slowly at 75 mph. I was not rolled, but flipped in an outside loop inverted. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that she completely lost control and believed that she and the person with her were going to die. However, the aircraft was able to recover in relative small amount of altitude loss and continued on to landing. The tower was not aware of this incident since she and her other aircraft flying companion had re-requested landing clearance via telephone prior to the flight. Therefore, the tower controller was not aware of her presence until the accompanying aircraft called in! She had not heard of any further complaints or from the FAA regarding this matter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA BIPLANE LOST CTL OF THE ACFT IN THE DOWNWIND LEG, DUE POSSIBLY TO 'WAKE TURB' AND RECOVERED AT TREE-TOP LEVEL, RESULTING IN SEVERAL LOW FLYING AEROBATICS COMPLAINTS.

Narrative: I'M SENDING THIS RPT TO INFORM YOU OF A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE NEAR VNY. IT WAS RPTED BY SEVERAL AREA RESIDENTS AS AEROBATICS OVER THEIR HOUSES. I WAS ENRTE FROM FRESNO/CHANDLER TO CATALINA ISLAND FOR THE MOVIE XXXX. MY AIRPLANE IS A 1928 SMA 1 BIPLANE. I WAS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER BIPLANE, A 1930'S SMA 2 FROM SANTA PAULA. SINCE I HAVE NO ELECTRICAL SYS, AND NO RADIO, AND THE SMA 2 A VERY LIMITED RADIO, WE HAD PREARRANGED WITH THE VNY TWR AN APPROX TIME TO ENTER R DOWNWIND FOR 16R, WHICH WE DID, AND WAITED FOR A GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR. APPROX ABEAM THE TWR AT PATTERN ALT, 2000 FT MSL, MY PLANE WENT INTO AN INSTANT VERT DIVE, THEN FLIPPED INVERTED. I WAS STARING DOWN AT THE ROOFTOPS AND SWIMMING POOLS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS HAD HAPPENED OR HOW IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY, BUT I KNEW I WAS DEAD AND WAITED FOR THE CRASH. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, I YANKED BACK ON THE STICK AND PULLED THE PLANE THROUGH UNBELIEVABLE G FORCES TO THE R SIDE UP AT ABOUT TREE LEVEL, GAVE IT PWR AND CLBED BACK UP TO PATTERN ALT. THE SMA 2, DIVING HIS PLANE TO SEE WHERE WE HAD DISAPPEARED TO, SAW US UPSIDE DOWN, ALL LNDG GEAR AND WINGS, AND HE ALSO WAITED FOR THE CRASH. AFTER I GAINED CTL OF THE AIRPLANE, HE MADE CONTACT WITH THE TWR. I FOLLOWED HIM AS A FLT OF 2 AND WE LANDED AT VNY. THE ARPT POLICE DROVE UP TO WHERE WE WERE GASSING UP THE PLANES AND SAID 4-5 PEOPLE HAD CALLED IN TO RPT 2 BIPLANES DOING AEROBATICS OVER THEIR HOUSES. I CAN ASSURE ANYONE, I HAVE NEVER DONE AEROBATICS WITH MY PLANE, DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW, AND CERTAINLY WOULD NEVER ATTEMPT A DIVE AND INVERTED FLT ON DOWNWIND AT 1000 FT OFF THE GND. THE ONLY EXPLANATION WE CAME UP WITH WAS POSSIBLE WINGTIP VORTICES FROM A JET THAT CROSSED OVERHEAD EARLIER, OR ANOTHER PLANE OR SOME TYPE OF WIND DISTURBANCE. MY PLANE HAS VERY LARGE WING SURFACE, FLIES SLOWLY AT 75 MPH. I WAS NOT ROLLED, BUT FLIPPED IN AN OUTSIDE LOOP INVERTED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT SHE COMPLETELY LOST CTL AND BELIEVED THAT SHE AND THE PERSON WITH HER WERE GOING TO DIE. HOWEVER, THE ACFT WAS ABLE TO RECOVER IN RELATIVE SMALL AMOUNT OF ALT LOSS AND CONTINUED ON TO LNDG. THE TWR WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT SINCE SHE AND HER OTHER ACFT FLYING COMPANION HAD RE-REQUESTED LNDG CLRNC VIA TELEPHONE PRIOR TO THE FLT. THEREFORE, THE TWR CTLR WAS NOT AWARE OF HER PRESENCE UNTIL THE ACCOMPANYING ACFT CALLED IN! SHE HAD NOT HEARD OF ANY FURTHER COMPLAINTS OR FROM THE FAA REGARDING THIS MATTER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.