Alaska Airlines 737 Incurs Structural Damage Following Rough Landing at John Wayne Airport

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft sustained extensive structural damage after a heavy landing at John Wayne Airport (SNA).

Flight AS1288 was traveling from Seattle Tacoma Airport (SEA) to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California on August 20, 2023.

Due to strong winds and rain brought by Southern California tropical storm Hilary, the flight made a hard landing at runway 20R at SNA.

The aircraft slammed onto the runway and due to the impact the left-hand landing gear disengaged, and punctured through the wing.

Video footage taken from inside the aircraft by one of the passengers showed the impact of the landing. While still airborne, everything seemed normal until the aircraft touched down roughly, causing passengers to scream in surprise.

Flying sparks can also be seen emitting from the left-hand side of the aircraft.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the incident.

Photos of damage caused to the 14-year old aircraft have since been posted on social media, and show the partially opened but damaged wing.

Aside from structural damage, hydraulic ducts were also affected.

The flight was carrying 106 passengers and six crew members. All were safely deplaned via aircraft stairs and onto the runway. Passengers and crew were transported by a bus to the terminal.

Even in good weather, it is a challenge to land an aircraft at John Wayne Airport, which has an unusually short runway at 5,700 feet. Landings on short runways are especially hard because pilots have to hit the brakes hard in order for the aircraft to slow down.