Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A accident near Santa Ana, California, December 16, 1993
On December 16, 1993 at about 1:33 am local time, a Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A, registered N309CK, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Ana, California (John Wayne airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE SEPARATION BEHIND THE BOEING 757 AND/OR REMAIN ABOVE ITS FLIGHT PATH DURING THE APPROACH, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE VORTICES FROM THE 757. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AN INADEQUACY IN THE ATC PROCEDURE RELATED TO VISUAL APPROACHES AND VFR OPERATIONS BEHIND HEAVIER AIRPLANES, AND THE RESULTANT LACK OF INFORMATION TO THE WESTWIND PILOTS FOR THEM TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE FLIGHT PATH OF THEIR AIRPLANE WITH RESPECT TO THE BOEING 757'S FLIGHT PATH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 1993 · about 1:33 am local time
- Place
- Santa Ana, California · John Wayne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A · all 1124As on the register
- Registration
- N309CK · no longer on the register · serial 350
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A BEECH LINER, BOEING 757 & ISRAEL WESTWIND (WW) WERE VECTORED FOR LANDINGS ON RWY 19R. THE 757 & WW WERE SEQUENCED FOR VISUAL APCHS BEHIND THE BEECH. BEFORE BEING CLEARED FOR VISUAL APCH, THE WW WAS CLOSING 3.5 MI FROM THE 757 ON A CONVERGING COURSE. THE 757 & WW CREWS WERE TOLD TO SLOW TO 150 KTS. THE 757 SLOWED BELOW 150 KTS & WAS HIGH ON FINAL APPROACH WITH A 5.6 DEG DESCENT. THE WW CONTINUED TO CONVERGE TO ABOUT 2.1 MI BEHIND THE 757 ON A 3 DEG APCH. ATC DID NOT SPECIFICALLY ADVISE, AND WAS NOT REQUIRED BY ATC HANDBOOK TO ADVISE, THE WW PILOTS THAT THEY WERE BEHIND A BOEING 757. CAPT DISCUSSED POSSIBLE WAKE TURBULENCE, FLEW ILS 1 DOT HIGH, NOTED CLOSENESS TO THE 757 & INDICATED THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM. WHILE DESCENDING THRU APRX 1100 FT MSL, THE WW ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE 757, ROLLED INTO A STEEP DESCENT & CRASHED. THE CREW LACKED SPECIFIC WAKE TURBULENCE TRAINING. CHLORPHENIRAMINE (COMMON OVER-THE-COUNTER ANTI-HISTAMINE; NOT APPROVED FOR FLYING) DETECTED IN PILOT'S LUNG TISSUE (0.094 UG/ML). (SEE SPCL STUDY NTSB/SIR-94/01)
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,228 hours in all; 756 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 7,400 as pilot in command; 4,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,027 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 10, 1993; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 23,000 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 731-3-1G (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Martin Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: POC La Verne CA at 1:25 am
- Destination: SNA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19R, 5,700 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.