Cessna 172 Overturns at John Wayne Airport Following Jet Blast

Cessna 172 Overturns at John Wayne Airport Following Jet Blast

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A small airplane flipped on a John Wayne Airport runway on Saturday, sparking an investigation into the incident.

Firefighters rushed to the Orange County airfield’s ACI Jet ramp at approximately 2:40 p.m. following reports of the accident, according to cbsnews.com. Initial accounts from the Orange County Fire Authority and airport officials indicated the Cessna 172 was parked and unoccupied when heavy winds blew it over.

However, conflicting witness accounts quickly emerged from the scene. Representatives for the Orange County Flight Center, which owns the single-engine aircraft registered as N57BM to Huerta Holdings Inc. in Santa Ana, told cbsnews.com that a flight instructor and a student were actually inside the cockpit when the incident occurred.

According to latimes.com, ground control radio conversations suggested the Cessna may have been caught in the jet blast of a departing commercial airliner. The flight center’s director, Niki-A, stated that the overturning happened because of a jet blast from a United or Southwest airline jet allowed to take off as their aircraft was leaving the ramp toward the taxiway.

“One of our flight instructors and a student were in the aircraft when it flipped,” Niki-A told cbsnews.com. The director added that a major reconstruction and realignment project currently underway at the facility is adversely impacting general aviation and potentially jeopardizing flight safety.

Cessna plane flips, lands on its roof at John Wayne Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration released a preliminary statement Sunday corroborating the flight club’s account, noting that the Cessna 172 was blown over while taxiing behind United Airlines Flight 2611. The FAA confirmed it is actively investigating the occurrence.

Representatives for the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and United Airlines did not immediately return requests for comment regarding the ground incident, latimes.com reported.

The exterior of John Wayne Airport in Orange County
Photo: latimes.com

Airport spokespersons confirmed that no injuries were reported among the two occupants, and emergency crews managed the safe recovery of the site without causing further operational impacts to commercial traffic at the airport.

Saturday’s accident marks the second aviation incident at John Wayne Airport in as many days. On Friday, a Southwest Airlines flight bound for San José declared a general emergency shortly after an 11:30 a.m. takeoff due to engine trouble, ultimately landing safely at Los Angeles International Airport.

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