20231120021599I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172G · Santa Ana, CA · November 20, 2023

Date
November 20, 2023 · 08:30 local
Place
Santa Ana, CA
Airport
John Wayne Airport-Orange Coun
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N2976U
Reported as
Cessna 172G
Reported engine
Continental 0-300 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot provided the following narrative, “…taxied from the privacy data omitted runup and was holding short of runway 2L at delta. A privacy data omitted 737 was holding short of 2L on delta to the east of the runway was cleared to line up and wait 2L with a corporate jet, on what I can remember, a 3 mile final. After holding on the runway for a few seconds, the 737 was cleared for takeoff. Directly following the 737’S takeoff clearance read back, […] was cleared to line up and wait runway 2L with that same corporate jet on a now 2 mile final. Upon hearing this I proceeded forward onto the runway. The 737 by now had just started down the runway and likely was passing taxiway golf on the takeoff roll. Upon reaching the runway edge line, still on an eastbound heading, my plane was caught in a combination of a wind gust, and the jet blast of the departing 737. The left main gear was lifted off the ground, the right wing tip struck the ground and the propeller hit the ground. While balancing on the wing tip, nose gear, and right main gear, I was pushed off the runway onto the blast pad to the south of the runway. The plane came to a complete stop facing southwest still balancing on the right wing tip, nose gear, and right main gear. Upon reaching a full stop, I advised the tower of the situation and climbed out to wait for the airport officials. While talking to the airport officials, police, and firemen, the airplane was hit by another strong gust and was fully flipped nose over. This is where the airplane sustained the vast majority of the damage, windows were broken, the empennage, vertical stabilizer, wings, and wing struts all sustained damage at this time. The airplane is now upside down and facing northbound. The emergency services deemed the only safe way to get the airplane off the active runway environment was to drag it to the ramp just west taxiway delta to the privacy data omitted ramp…”

As the FAA filed it

PILOT PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE, “…TAXIED FROM THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RUNUP AND WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY 2L AT DELTA. A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ 737 WAS HOLDING SHORT OF 2L ON DELTA TO THE EAST OF THE RUNWAY WAS CLEARED TO LINE UP AND WAIT 2L WITH A CORPORATE JET, ON WHAT I CAN REMEMBER, A 3 MILE FINAL. AFTER HOLDING ON THE RUNWAY FOR A FEW SECONDS, THE 737 WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF. DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THE 737’S TAKEOFF CLEARANCE READ BACK, […] WAS CLEARED TO LINE UP AND WAIT RUNWAY 2L WITH THAT SAME CORPORATE JET ON A NOW 2 MILE FINAL. UPON HEARING THIS I PROCEEDED FORWARD ONTO THE RUNWAY. THE 737 BY NOW HAD JUST STARTED DOWN THE RUNWAY AND LIKELY WAS PASSING TAXIWAY GOLF ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL. UPON REACHING THE RUNWAY EDGE LINE, STILL ON AN EASTBOUND HEADING, MY PLANE WAS CAUGHT IN A COMBINATION OF A WIND GUST, AND THE JET BLAST OF THE DEPARTING 737. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS LIFTED OFF THE GROUND, THE RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE PROPELLER HIT THE GROUND. WHILE BALANCING ON THE WING TIP, NOSE GEAR, AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR, I WAS PUSHED OFF THE RUNWAY ONTO THE BLAST PAD TO THE SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY. THE PLANE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP FACING SOUTHWEST STILL BALANCING ON THE RIGHT WING TIP, NOSE GEAR, AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR. UPON REACHING A FULL STOP, I ADVISED THE TOWER OF THE SITUATION AND CLIMBED OUT TO WAIT FOR THE AIRPORT OFFICIALS. WHILE TALKING TO THE AIRPORT OFFICIALS, POLICE, AND FIREMEN, THE AIRPLANE WAS HIT BY ANOTHER STRONG GUST AND WAS FULLY FLIPPED NOSE OVER. THIS IS WHERE THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE, WINDOWS WERE BROKEN, THE EMPENNAGE, VERTICAL STABILIZER, WINGS, AND WING STRUTS ALL SUSTAINED DAMAGE AT THIS TIME. THE AIRPLANE IS NOW UPSIDE DOWN AND FACING NORTHBOUND. THE EMERGENCY SERVICES DEEMED THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO GET THE AIRPLANE OFF THE ACTIVE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT WAS TO DRAG IT TO THE RAMP JUST WEST TAXIWAY DELTA TO THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RAMP…”