Event LAX03LA024

Factual narrative

On November 7, 2002, about 1340 Pacific standard time, a Beech BE35, N3373C, encountered wake turbulence from a Boeing 757 during landing at John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California. The airplane was operated by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger both sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Henderson, Nevada, approximately 1225, and was destined for Santa Ana. The pilot stated that after contacting the John Wayne Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT), they advised him to make left traffic for runway 19L. After being cleared to land, ATCT advised him to look for a Boeing 757 on a 4-mile final for runway 19R. He reported it in sight and ATCT instructed him to "maintain visual separation and take caution of wake turbulence." The Boeing 757 overtook him and was touching down on runway 19R. The pilot attempted to "stay high and land long on runway 19L." At 100 feet above ground level (agl) and 80 knots, the airplane entered a "violent snap roll to the right, looking down at the ground." The pilot attempted to correct the situation by applying left rudder, left aileron, and full throttle. As the airplane impacted the ground short of the runway, the pilot lost consciousness. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Las Vegas Flight Standards District Office provided the Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) with the current AAT-140 facility evaluation form concerning operations at the ATCT. In pertinent part, the evaluation stated, "Controllers allowed simultaneous operations on parallel runways, separated by approximately 500 feet between centerlines, by large turbojet aircraft, including Boeing 757 aircraft, and small general aviation aircraft. Large turbojet aircraft operating on runway 19R were observed to pass smaller aircraft operating on runway 19L in departure/departure, arrival/departure, and arrival/arrival situations." FAA Order 7110.65N states that a minimum distance between runway centerlines of 700 feet is required for simultaneous same direction operations of large aircraft and lightweight, single and multiengine, propeller driven aircraft. The distance between the centerlines of runways 19R and 19L at John Wayne is approximately 505 feet. The IIC reviewed transcripts of the communications between N3373C, the B757, and the local controller positions (LC 1 and LC 2) from ATCT. Excerpts from the transcripts are as follows: 2137:26 N3373C left traffic for runway one niner left bonanza seven three charlie 2138:22 AAL465 john wayne tower american four sixty five with ya visual one niner right 2138:29 LC1 american four sixty five tower runway one niner right cleared to land traffic a seminole holding in position 2138:29 AAL465 one niner right cleared to land american four sixty five 2139:22 LC 2 bonanza seven three charlie you're number two following a cherokee three quarter mile final 2139:28 N3373C number two for one niner left seven three charlie 2140:12 LC 2 bonanza seven three charlie traffic on a four mile final to the parallel runway is a Boeing seven fifty seven report that traffic in sight 2140:19 N3373C seven three charlie has traffic in sight 2140:22 LC 2 bonanza seven three charlie maintain visual separation from that traffic caution wake turbulence 2140:27 N3373C seven three charlie 2140:58 LC 1 american four sixty five traffic ten o'clock and one mile a Cessna ah a cherokee correction a bonanza base for the left 2142:32 LC 1 american four sixty five turn left at ec at echo and contact ground good day 2143:03 N4173K ah tower ah Cessna four two seven that plane crashed The Airport Terminal Information Service (ATIS) "OSCAR" was valid during the approach and reporting winds 260 degrees at 10 knots, however, the ATIS was changing to "NOVEMBER," which was reporting winds as 210 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot encountered wake turbulence while on final approach to runway 19L. He was cleared to land and advised to look for a Boeing 757 on a 4-mile final for the parallel runway, 19R. After reporting it in sight, the Boeing 757 overtook him. He said he attempted to "stay high and land long on 19L"; however, as the Boeing 757 touched down, the airplane entered a "violent snap roll to the right, looking down at the ground." The airplane impacted the ground short of the runway. During the approach, controllers allowed simultaneous operations on parallel runways by the Boeing 757 airplane and the small general aviation airplane. FAA Order 7110.65N states that a minimum distance between runway centerlines of 700 feet is required for simultaneous same direction operations between large aircraft and lightweight single and multiengine propeller driven airplanes. The distance between the centerlines of runways 19R and 19L is approximately 505 feet. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12