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# Pilotless airplane accident at Santa Monica Airport
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/pilotless-airplane-accident-at-santa-monica-airport/
- Published: 2002-08-05T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:35:21.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

Aviators witnessed a bizarre accident at the Santa Monica Airport Sunday when a 1973 Skyhawk airplane crashed into a hangar and the plane it housed. The aircraft was pilotless when the incident occurred.

According to Santa Monica Fire Department officials, the owner, who refused to identify himself to a reporter, hand-cranked the plane’s engine when it suddenly started and took off across the airport runway. The unguided aircraft initially missed two planes — one was taxiing on the runway, while the other was landing — but finally crashed through a hangar and into a third plane, which suffered substantial damage to its nose. The Skyhawk narrowly missed a fourth plane worth $13 million.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/080502-02_01.jpg)

Officials investigate the scene where a pilotless aircraft crashed into an occupied hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 5, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080502.pdf?ref=smdp.com)