# Incident 20231120021599I: Cessna 172G, Santa Ana, CA, November 20, 2023

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 20, 2023, 08:30 local time
- Place: Santa Ana, CA
- Airport: John Wayne Airport-Orange Coun
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Taxi
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.6757° N, 117.8682° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at JOHN WAYNE/ORANGE COUNTY (SNA), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6757&lon=-117.8682&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2976U, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2976U) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172G (registry code 2072420, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172G
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231120021599I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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…”

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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