Event LAX95LA347

Factual narrative

On September 30, 1995, at 2119 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N68225, collided with an airport facility during the landing roll on runway 19R at John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, California. The pilots were completing an instrument flight rules personal flight. The airplane, registered to a private individual d.b.a. Royal Aviation Flying Club, John Wayne Airport, sustained substantial damage. Neither the certificated commercial pilot occupying the right front seat (herein referred to as the first pilot) nor the certificated commercial pilot flying the airplane and occupying the left front seat (second pilot) was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at John Wayne Airport at 1640 hours; the flight departed Santa Barbara Airport, Santa Barbara, California, at 2030 hours. The first pilot told National Transportation Safety Board investigators in a telephone interview that he rented the airplane and was the pilot-in-command (PIC). Later, he told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations inspector that before departing John Wayne Airport he agreed that he would be the PIC on the flight to Santa Barbara Airport. On the return flight the second pilot would be the PIC. The first pilot said that the second pilot executed an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 19R. When the flight was about 3 miles from the runway, the local controller instructed the flight to land on runway 19L because of a departing Boeing 757. When the flight was about a mile from the airport, the local controller cleared the flight for the option to land on either runway 19L or 19R. The second pilot elected to land on runway 19R. The airplane touched down normally. During the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the left. The first pilot said that the second pilot appeared to correct the left drift. Moments later, the airplane abruptly turned left, exited the runway environment, and collided with an airport facility. The second pilot concurred with the first pilot's statement concerning the sequence of events and that the first pilot was the PIC. He added that both wings remained level during the entire maneuver. He said that he thought the airplane encountered wake turbulence from the departing Boeing 757. The operator submitted the required Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form, NTSB Form 6120.1/2. He indicated in the form that the airplane did not experience any preimpact malfunctions or failures. The FAA, Western-Pacific Region Air Traffic Division, Quality Assurance Branch, provided the Safety Board with the radar data of the Delta 757 and the accident airplane. The radar data shows that when the accident airplane landed, the Delta 757 was about 5 miles south of the airport. THE PILOT EXECUTED AN ILS TO RUNWAY 19R. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED THE FLIGHT TO LAND ON RUNWAY 19L TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION STANDARDS BETWEEN THE FLIGHT AND A DEPARTING BOEING 757. THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT WHEN THE PILOT ABANDONED THE APPROACH. WHEN THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 1 MILE FROM THE AIRPORT, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER GAVE THE PILOT THE OPTION TO LAND ON EITHER RUNWAY. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 19R. THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT AND COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT FACILITY. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE BOEING 757 WAS 5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT WHEN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE LANDED. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12