Cessna 340 and Cessna 152 Reportedly Collide on Approach

An aircraft accident at Watsonville Municipal Airport in central California’s Santa Cruz County has left three dead. The decedents’ identities have yet to be disclosed. No ground injuries were reported.

The accident occurred shortly before 15:00 on Thursday, 18 August 2022 in the coastal town of Watsonville—approximately ninety-miles south of San Francisco. Preliminary reports indicate a twin-engine Cessna 340 carrying two occupants and a single-engine Cessna 152 with only the pilot aboard collided midair while on approach to Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI).

A photo posted by the city of Watsonville's official Twitter account showed the wreckage of one aircraft in an airport hangar. The second aircraft—which in available photos appears to be the Cessna 152—came to rest in a grassy area on the airport property.

Witnesses in the vicinity asserted the aircraft were approximately two-hundred feet above-ground-level when they collided.

Frank Herrera, who was driving past the airport at the time of the accident, stated he observed the Cessna 340 bank hard to the right and strike the Cessna 152’s wing. Thereafter—in the witness’s words—the 152 “just spiraled down and crashed.” Herrera further stated the Cessna 340 remained airborne, but “it was struggling.” Mr. Herrera reported next seeing flames on the airport.

The Watsonville Municipal Airport is a regional general aviation airport serving business and recreational aircraft operators in the city of Watsonville, the County of Santa Cruz, and the Monterey Bay area. It is the sole airport within Santa Cruz County. The airport is uncontrolled, and has three documented instrument approach procedures, making it a popular instrument training area.

Instrument pilots have been advised by NOTAM that Watsonville is occasionally surrounded by non-IFR traffic that climbs or descends through low stratus layers in violation of VFR regulations. Air traffic control (ATC) calls out such targets—provided they’re visible on radar. Watsonville Municipal’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is notoriously cluttered, even when instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevail.

Though prone to coastal fog incursions, Watsonville Municipal Airport appears to have been VFR at the time of the accident.

FMI: www.santacruz.org