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.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 5, 2002. Read the original PDF.