Cessna 152 accident near Santa Ana, CA
On June 24, 1998, a Cessna 152 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Santa Ana, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 24, 1998
- Place
- Santa Ana, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.709°N, 117.869°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10341
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 23, 1998, at 1707 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N67421, rolled abruptly, pitched down, and impacted terrain while on final landing approach at the John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, California. The aircraft was destroyed and the student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight that was operating in the airport traffic pattern performing takeoffs and full-stop landings. Witnesses reported that the aircraft was on a stabilized short final approach to runway 19L, approximately 100 feet agl, when the wings of the aircraft abruptly rolled approximately 90 degrees and the nose dropped. There is disagreement among witnesses whether the aircraft rolled to the right or to the left. In 2 or 3 seconds, the aircraft achieved a near vertical, nose-down attitude, which continued to impact. The witnesses reported that a Boeing 757 (later identified as American Airlines flight 2154) aircraft had landed on parallel runway 19R, upwind of runway 19L, approximately 30 seconds prior to the accident, and that surface winds were from the southwest at approximately 10 knots. A witness also reported that a departing Boeing 737 aircraft had been holding short of runway 19R (between 19R and 19L) at the departure end, and was moving into position on runway 19R at the time of the accident. A private pilot witnessed the accident while working on the terminal ramp about 300 feet east of the accident site. He reported that the aircraft's descent and attitude looked normal on final approach. He estimated that the a
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot-in-command to identify a proper touchdown point on the runway and maintain an appropriate glidepath so as to remain clear of vortex turbulence from the preceding large aircraft. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to initiate a go-around in the known presence of vortex turbulence.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
