Cessna 152 accident near Concord, California, June 22, 2006
On June 22, 2006 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5534M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Concord, California (Buchanen Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's unstabilized approach, misjudged landing flare, inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain directional control. A contributing factor to the accident was the in-flight distraction.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2006 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Concord, California · Buchanen Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5534M · no longer on the register · serial 15284608
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard and the left wing struck the runway. The student pilot reported that when he turned the airplane onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, he noticed smoke coming from a field close to the runway. The student pilot was worried about his flight visibility and the effects that the smoke would have on the handling characteristics of the airplane. Due to these concerns, he was less focused on his landing and approached the runway at too high of an airspeed. When the airplane touched down, it bounced three times and drifted to the left. He added right rudder to prevent the airplane from veering off of the runway and the airplane sharply turned to the right and the left wing struck the ground. The student pilot said that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19L, 2,770 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.