Morane-Saulnier MS760 II accident near Irvine, California, November 30, 1996
On November 30, 1996 at about 9:07 pm local time, a Morane-Saulnier MS760 II, registered N2TE, was destroyed in an accident near Irvine, California (John Wayne airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin while maneuvering in a steep banked turn to the landing runway, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Factors in the accident were: the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft in that he departed with the boarding ladder attached to the aircraft's exterior; the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning in that he flew a traffic pattern so close to the runway that it required excessive bank angles to align the aircraft with the landing runway; and the aircraft's probable encounter with the periphery of a weakened B-757 wake turbulence, which increased the wing's angle of attack beyond the stall point at a critical point during a steep banked turn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1996 · about 9:07 pm local time
- Place
- Irvine, California · John Wayne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Morane-Saulnier MS760 II · all MS760 IIs on the register
- Registration
- N2TE · registry record · serial 005
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed the air traffic control tower declaring an emergency and stating his intent to return for landing. He stated that he had taken off with an external boarding ladder attached to the aircraft. Several witnesses reported that the aircraft's downwind leg was too close to the airport causing the aircraft to overshoot the turn to the final approach course, and that the pilot increased the aircraft's bank angle as he tried to align the aircraft with the landing runway. As the aircraft was intercepting the final approach course, it abruptly rolled inverted, the nose dropped, and the aircraft spiraled onto the roof of an industrial building. A Boeing 757 aircraft, landing on the same runway, had passed over the accident site 2 minutes and 17 seconds earlier. The B-757 was cleared to land before the accident aircraft received a takeoff clearance and was on the runway when the pilot declared the emergency and turned downwind. The local controller did not issue a wake turbulence advisory. Experienced MS760 pilots reported that the aircraft will exhibit no adverse performance or safety affects with the boarding ladder attached.
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: 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: 2,169 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,868 as pilot in command; 605 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,334 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1996; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Turbomeca MARBORE VI (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 9:03 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 5,700 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from SNA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.