Cessna 414 accident near Santa Ana, CA
On August 5, 2018, a Cessna 414 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Santa Ana, CA. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 5, 2018
- Place
- Santa Ana, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.696°N, 117.884°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180805X00700
Official records · WPR18FA211
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 5, 2018, about 1229 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 414 airplane, N727RP, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Santa Ana, California. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. A review of the John Wayne-Orange County Control Tower (SNA) Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) audio revealed that the pilot contacted SNA tower at 1225, and reported the airplane was at an altitude of 1,700 ft. The controller instructed the pilot to make right traffic for runway 20R. The pilot acknowledged the instruction and the controller then asked the pilot if he could accept runway 20L and informed him the runway was 2,850 ft long. The pilot responded that he was unable to land on runway 20L. Subsequently, the pilot was instructed to hold over the South Coast Plaza, a local VFR holding point, and to conduct left 360turns for sequencing. Less than a minute after denying the original response to land on runway 20L, the pilot responded that he could accept runway 20L for landing. The controller then instructed the pilot to accomplish a left 270° turn and cross directly over the tower at or above 1,300 ft, for left traffic to runway 20L. The pilot acknowledged the instruction. About 23 seconds later, the controller instructed the pilot to “climb back up to 1,300 ft or above.” Four seconds after the instruction the pilot stated, “emergency, emergency, emergency.” A review of audio transcripts, flight data, and a discussion with an ATCT who witnessed the ev
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent spin at a low altitude, which the pilot was unable to recover from.
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.
