Aero Commander 680T accident near Concord, California, December 3, 1985
On December 3, 1985 at about 8:00 am local time, a Aero Commander 680T, registered N17690, was destroyed in an accident near Concord, California (Buchanan airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1985 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Concord, California · Buchanan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 680T · all 680Ts on the register
- Registration
- N17690 · no longer on the register · serial 1577-31
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 12/3/85 AT APRX 0830, THE ACFT WAS FND LYING INVERTED IN A CANAL ADJACENT TO THE ARPT WHERE IT HAD BEEN ON 24 HR STANDBY FOR MEDICAL FLTS. TWELVE DAYS LATER, THE PLT'S BODY WAS ALSO FND IN THE CANAL. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD BEEN TAKEN SOMETIME DURING A PERIOD WHEN THE TOWER WAS CLOSED BETWEEN 2200 PST ON 12/2/85 & 0600 PST THE NEXT MORNING, WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT OF THE OPERATOR. MAIN GEAR TIRE MARKS WERE FND IN MUD WHERE THE ACFT HAD CONTD OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY. BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY, THE ACFT HIT A FENCE & A 5 FT DIRT BANK, THEN HIT THE GND AFTER BEING AIRBORNE ABOUT 200 FT & CAME TO REST IN THE CANAL. SHERIFF'S PSNL CONTACTED FRIENDS OF THE PLT, WHO HAD SPENT THE EVENING WITH HIM. BASE ON INFORMATION THAT THEY PROVIDED CONCERNING THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, THE SHERIFF'S PSNL STATED THAT THE PLT WOULD HAVE BEEN LEGALLY INTOXICATED. THE OVERRUN WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE OCCURRED DURING EITHER A LANDING OR A TAKEOFF ON 12/3/85.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 9,450 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1L, 4,712 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- 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.