Cessna 172 Flipped Over by United Jet Blast at John Wayne Airport in California: Instructor and Student Uninjured
At about 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, a Cessna 172 that had just landed at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Orange County, California, lost its balance while taxiing behind a United Airlines Boeing 737 that was waiting to take off, and rolled completely onto its roof. A flight instructor and a student pilot were aboard; neither was injured. The Federal Aviation Administration said the small plane was blown over while taxiing behind United Flight 2611, classified the damage to the aircraft as substantial, and is investigating together with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Cessna 172, registration N57BM, is operated by the Orange County Flight Center and weighs about 1,400 pounds. In his report, instructor Jason Ryu said the Boeing jet was holding near the entrance to Runway 02L and increased engine power to enter the runway just as the Cessna began a left turn; the jet blast struck suddenly, he was unable to maintain control of the aircraft, and it tipped onto its nose and left wing before being pushed fully over. Surveillance video from the flight center recorded the rollover. A pilot in another Cessna also told the control tower that the aircraft had been blasted by the United 737's jet blast.
Accounts of the cause do not yet fully agree. The airport and the Orange County Fire Authority initially said strong winds had flipped a parked plane; the FAA said that in addition to the engine blast, strong winds at the time may have contributed, and that the specific circumstances are still under investigation. The Orange County Flight Center believes the jet blast overturned the aircraft. United Flight 2611 later departed normally and landed safely in Chicago. No final investigative conclusion has been announced.
(Source: Federal Aviation Administration)
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：从空中俯瞰加州橙县中部，画面中可见 John Wayne 机场与 Irvine 商务区（资料图，非事发现场）。Dthx1138 摄，CC BY 2.5，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of central Orange County, California, showing John Wayne Airport and the Irvine business district (file photo, not the scene). By Dthx1138, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
