Agua Dulce Airpark, Agua Dulce, California

Airport is located 2 miles east of Agua Dulce, California;

Airport History


Agua Dulce Airport Today: Residential airpark; no touch and go; helicopter operations;



Airport Services & Amenities:  Agua Dulce Airpark has ramp and tie-down parking and self-service 100LL fuel available.  There is a pilot's lounge as well as restrooms and picnic tables.  At the moment the restaurant is closed.

Special Events and Attractions:  Vineyards; Castaic Lake; Water Park; Magic Mountain; Vasquez County Park;

Airport Area Accident History:

Accident occurred Sunday, October 20, 2002 in Agua Dulce, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/30/2004
Aircraft: Piper Aerostar 601, registration: N700US
Injuries: 3 Fatal.
The airplane crashed into rising terrain after departure from an uncontrolled public airport. The runway used by the pilot is 4,600 feet long and has a 1.8 percent upward gradient. The density altitude was 4,937 feet msl, and a slight quartering tailwind existed at the time. The pilot held in position, powered up the engines, and started his departure. The airplane was observed using most of the runway length before rotation and then it assumed a higher than normal pitch attitude in the initial climb. Witnesses watched the airplane turn left following the route of a canyon and into rising terrain. The reciprocal runway departs towards decreasing elevations. In the area of the crash, two witnesses reported the airplane was at a low altitude, nose high, and wallowing just before it descended into a drainage area 0.69 miles from the runway. Post accident examination of the engines revealed worn camshaft lobes and tappets, which would negatively affect the
ability of the engines to produce full rated power. One engine exhibited severe rust on the entire crankshaft. The accident site was located in a canyon, and the wreckage and ground scars was confined to an area about the diameter of the wing span. Major portions of the airframe and most of the engine accessories were consumed by a post accident fire. Examination of the wreckage established that all major components of the airframe and power plants were at the site.


The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

the pilot's failure to attain and maintain a sufficient airspeed, which led to an inadvertent stall mush. The pilot's selection of the wrong runway for departure, considering the uphill gradient, the wind direction, and a takeoff path into rising terrain are also causal. The high density altitude and the degraded internal condition of the engines were factors.

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Accident occurred Friday, April 21, 2000 in AGUA DULCE, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/6/2001
Aircraft: Beech D35, registration: N2086D
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
On a dark night, en route from California to Arizona, the pilot cruised into rising terrain in a mountain pass. The crash site, elevation 3,560 feet mean sea level (msl), was adjacent to and about 0.5 miles north of a state highway, elevation 3,000. An overcast sky condition existed with cloud bases between 3,200 and 3,400 feet msl. No one reported witnessing the accident. A hillside resident located about 1/3-mile down slope from the crash site reported that, about the time of the accident, his 3,200-foot msl home was shrouded in ground fog. The pilot was instrument rated but was not current. His last logged instrument flight was 7 years earlier. The FAA reported that the pilot did not file a flight plan, obtain a weather briefing, or communicate with any FAA facility during the flight. The on-scene wreckage examination revealed the airplane initially impacted up sloping terrain in a near level flight attitude. The airplane came to rest upside down about
750 feet from the initial point of ground impact. No evidence of mechanical malfunction was found with the airplane.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while cruising up a mountain pass, on a dark night, in IMC conditions, and his improper in-flight decision to perform a VFR flight in the inclement weather.

Airport Approach / Landing: