A small Cessna 172 flipped upside down at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 7, 2026. Video of the incident has spread widely online. The two people on board, the pilot and a passenger, were not injured. The FAA said the plane overturned while taxiing behind United Airlines Flight 2611 and that it will investigate. Orange County Flight Center, which owns the plane, says the cause was jet blast from a departing airliner that was cleared for takeoff while its aircraft was moving.

Airport officials have given a different account. A John Wayne Airport spokesperson said the plane overturned because of wind while on the ramp, and the Orange County Fire Authority also said wind was to blame but would not say whether it was Santa Ana winds or a blast from a passing jet. Officials also noted that the plane was not tethered down. Jet blast is a known hazard for small aircraft, and similar incidents have flipped light planes at other airports. The big questions now are how close the Cessna was to the departing jet, whether wind or jet blast actually flipped it, and what the FAA's investigation will find.