A Cessna 340A crashed into a hangar next to a runway at Watsonville Municipal Airport August 18, after a mid-air collision with a 152, according to authorities. [Courtesy: City of Watsonville]
Key Takeaways:
Three people died in a mid-air collision involving a Cessna 152 and a twin-engine Cessna 340A near Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) in Santa Cruz County, California.
Both aircraft were attempting to land on Runway 20 at the non-towered airport when the collision occurred.
LiveATC recordings captured the Cessna 152 pilot attempting a go-around shortly before impact, stating the Cessna 340A was approaching "pretty quick."
ADS-B data and witness accounts indicate the Cessna 340A was flying at 182 knots, significantly faster than its normal approach speed of approximately 117 knots.
Three people have been killed in a mid-air collision of two Cessna aircraft in Santa Cruz County, California, according to authorities.
The accident happened Thursday just before 3 p.m. at Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI). The first notification came from a Twitter post from the City of Watsonville.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
