Two passengers in the small, fixed-wing airplane that flipped over at John Wayne Airport this weekend discussed on Monday what may have caused the turnover as the Federal Aent
Jason Ryu, a flight instructor, and Kunal Gawli, the student pilot he was supervising, said they had just landed on the runway after a 45-minute test flight from Temecula when they felt a “strong wind” that seemed to come out of the engine of a nearby commercial jet. The “jet blast” tipped over the tail of the Cessna 172 they were piloting and spun the plane on its back, Ryu said.
Footage provided by the Orange County Flight Center, which owns the Cessna 172, shows the aircraft flipping over after colliding with barriers around the construction area. The Cessna was shown trailing the commercial plane in the video.
Ryu described the incident as a terrifying, traumatizing
Ryu described the incident as a “terrifying, traumatizing experience” and said he felt fortunate to escape injury.
- Flight instructor Jason Ryu, right, and student pilot Gawli Kunal talk during a press conference on Monday, November 9, 2026. The pair were in a Cessna 172 Saturday when it flipped over on the taxiway at John Wayne Airport. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Flight instructor Jason Ryu, right, and student pilot Gawli Kunal talk during a press conference on Monday, November 9, 2026. The pair were in a Cessna 172 Saturday when it flipped over on the taxiway at John Wayne Airport. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The turnover could have been caused by a combination of high winds on Saturday, the blast from the commercial jet and the limited taxiway space for small planes right now during ongoing construction at the airport, Ryu said.
Representatives from the FAA, which announced an investigation
Representatives from the FAA, which announced an investigation into the incident on Sunday, interviewed Ryu and Gawli at the flight center Monday morning.
The FAA did not respond to a request Monday for comment.
In April 2025, the OC Board of Supervisors approved a three-year, $102 million project to resurface and realign airport taxiways to meet current FAA separation standards. The construction company FlatironDragados reported in June that the project is about 40% complete and ahead of schedule. The funding for the taxiways is part of the county’s $700 million investment to give the airport a makeover by 2031.
John Wayne Airport officials did not respond Monday afternoon to questions about the ongoing construction.
Gawli, who has been a student
Gawli, who has been a student at the flight center for a year and a half, said the construction has been under way for more than four months.
Due to the wind direction on Saturday, Gawli said he had to taxi on the southwest side of the airport, putting the plane in the same landing zone as the commercial jet. Because much of the taxiway is under construction, Gawli said he and Ryu weren’t able to create enough space from the larger plane.
Gawli said the crash does not sway his desire to pursue a career as a pilot, and he said he’s still looking forward to obtaining his license next week.
“It gets in your head,” he said, “but I would still love to fly.”
