Maule MT-7-235 accident near Concord, California, April 17, 2007
On April 17, 2007 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Maule MT-7-235, registered N3115U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Concord, California (Buchanan Field). It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, resulting in a ground loop/swerve and collapse of the nose landing gear. A contributing factor was the gusty wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2007 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Concord, California · Buchanan Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MT-7-235 · all MT-7-235s on the register
- Registration
- N3115U · no longer on the register · serial 18008C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the tower informed him the winds were from 250 degrees at 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. He aborted his first approach to runway 19R. On the second approach, he had "good rudder and aileron control at the 80 mph approach speed." At approximately 40 feet above ground level (agl), he encountered "a strong wind shear" and the airplane dropped to an altitude of 10 feet agl. The pilot added power and landed the airplane on the runway. At that time, a "very strong gust of wind" lifted the right wing and pushed the airplane towards the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to regain control, however, he was not successful, and the airplane continued to the left "into a ground loop off of the runway." The nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The recorded winds at the airport near the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 24 knots with gusts to 30 knots.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 142 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E16 Morgan Hill CA
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 24 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from CCR
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.
Other NTSB records under N3115U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA07CA104.