<!-- Please do not remove or change this AfD message until the issue is settled -->

<!-- For administrator use only: -->
<!-- End of AfD message, feel free to edit beyond this point -->


On January 20, 2008, a Cessna 172N and a Cessna 150M collided in mid-air near Corona Municipal Airport in Riverside County, California.

Background

The 172 was carrying one commercial-rated pilot and one passenger, and had been rented by the pilot from a La Habra flight instructer, in whose name the aircraft was registered. The aircraft was operated by Funoutside of Fullerton. The 150 was operated by Corona Flight Academy and was carrying two private pilots. The 150 was on a personal flight, and the purpose of the 172's flight is undetermined.<ref name="OCR"/><ref name="prelim"> Preliminary NTSB report</ref>

Accident

The accident occured as the 172 was aproaching runway 25 at Corona Municipal Airport for landing. The crash was in an area of airspace that is uncontrolled.<ref name="prelim"/>

The collision resulted in the deaths of all four people in the two aircraft and one on the ground. The individual on the ground was sitting at his desk when an engine and attatched cockpit and firewall debris struck him through the ceiling of a Chevrolet dealership. The wreckage landed on three car dealerships.<ref name="init"/><ref name="OCR"/>

The larger aircraft, the 172, impacted the side fuselage of the smaller aircraft, the 150, and broke it apart. Both wings of the Cessna 150 were detached and fell to the ground some yards away and leaked fuel, though it did not catch on fire. The larger aircraft stayed more or less intact, however it became intermeshed with the smaller aircraft and fell to the ground in a spiral. The 150's wings came to rest about 800 feet from the main wreckage from the 172. Much of the rest of the debris was concentrated in a 300 foot long area.<ref name="OCR"> Pilots in Corona crash didn't try to evade each other, report says - OC Register on January 31, 2008, accessed on May 11, 2008.</ref>

Investigation

An investigation was initiated by the National Transportation Safety Board.<ref name="init"> 5 Dead As Planes Collide in in SoCal</ref> The investigator from the NTSB determined from eyewitness accounts that the aircraft made no obvious atempt at evasive action and cruised towards each other for at least five seconds. It was also determined from two other pilots in a nearby aircraft that runway 25 was in active use at the time of the crash.<ref name="prelim"/>

References