Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 incident near Santa Ana, California, September 27, 1983
On September 27, 1983 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N302RC, was involved in an incident near Santa Ana, California (John Wayne airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 79 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1983 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ana, California · John Wayne · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 79 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N302RC · no longer on the register · serial 48055
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF THE LEFT ENGINE FAILED DUE TO A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE 7 TH STAGE REAR COMPRESSION STATOR ASSEMBLY SEVERAL HOMES UNDER THE FLIGH PATH SUSTAINED FIRE & DEBRIS DAMAGE WHEN ENGINE PARTS DEPARTED THE ACFT. THE ACFT RETURNEDTO THE AIRPORT AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 27,300 hours in all; 7,300 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 5,700 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Observation at 12:45 pm from SNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 74 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.