Buchanan Field Airport

History

In 1942 Contra Costa County, California purchased land for an airport in Central County for $88,000. The airport was being developed by the County until the United States Army Air Forces Fourth Air Force expropriated the site. The Army added land and built airport facilities and a training base for pilots, Concord Army Air Base.

In 1946 the War Assets Administration (WAA) returned the airport to the County. In 1947 the transfer was formalized and the airport was named for County Supervisor William J. Buchanan, who served on the County Board of Supervisors for more than forty years. The airport continued to be used on occasion by the U.S. Army to transport troops, especially during the Korean War.

In 1977 Buchanan Field reached its peak of activity with 357,000 total operations; by that criterion Buchanan Field was the 16th busiest airport in the nation, ahead of San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport. During this time noise became a concern and in 1988 the county Board of Supervisors instituted a county noise restriction ordinance restricting certain aircraft from operating at Buchanan Field.

Beginning in the 1990s the Board of Supervisors updated the Buchanan Field Airport Master Plan. Commercial development of adjacent property such as Sam's Club, Taco Bell, Sports Authority, and Jiffy Lube was allowed in 1992. The future direction of this airport is always in question because of its location on prime property in the middle of the city of Concord with no room to grow, and noise concerns. The County has developed a new airport in Byron in the eastern part of the county.

Historical airline service

Buchanan Field was served with commuter airline flights to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with small prop aircraft from 1969 to the late 1970s, including Stol Air Commuter flying Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and Britten-Norman BN-2A Trislander aircraft, both of which featured STOL capability. Also in 1969, San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines (also known as SFO Helicopter) was operating scheduled passenger flights with Sikorsky S-61 helicopters nonstop to Oakland International Airport (OAK) with continuing one stop service to SFO with up to five flights a day. SFO Helicopter was no longer serving the airport by 1975. In 1978, Stol Air Commuter was operating up to six flights a day to SFO; however, the airline was no longer serving the airport with flights to SFO by the end of 1979.

Airline service returned to the airport by the mid 1980s. In 1985, WestAir, a commuter air carrier that was the successor to Stol Air Commuter, was operating up to eight flights a day to SFO with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops which featured STOL capability. WestAir, which was operating as an independent airline at this time, then ceased serving the airport prior to becoming a United Express air carrier.

The jet age arrived at the airport the following year. Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) began nonstop British Aerospace BAe 146-200 jet service from Buchanan Field to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on May 1, 1986. Following its acquisition by USAir, in 1988 PSA was continuing to operate independently with up to four departures per day to LAX with the BAe 146 with one of these flights continuing on to San Diego (SAN) with one stop direct service. Following completion of its merger with PSA, in 1989 USAir was continuing to operate nonstop BAe 146 jet service to LAX with up to four departures a day. USAir then replaced the BAe 146 service flown to LAX with much smaller Beechcraft 1900C commuter turboprops operated by USAir Express in 1991. That same year USAir announced it was dismantling most of the West Coast network it had acquired from PSA, including service to Concord with USAir Express ending its flights into the airport in 1992.

Also in 1991, American Eagle Airlines operated by Wings West Airlines was operating four daily departures with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets to San Jose (SJC) on behalf of American Airlines which was operating an airline hub at SJC at this time. American subsequently shut down its San Jose hub and American Eagle service from Concord was discontinued.

Facilities and aircraft

Buchanan Field covers 495 acres (200 ha) at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m) above mean sea level. It has four asphalt and concrete runways: 1L/19R is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m), 1R/19L is 2,770 by 75 feet (844 x 23 m), 14L/32R is 4,602 by 150 feet (1,403 x 46 m), and 14R/32L is 2,799 by 75 feet (853 x 23 m).

In the year ending February 28, 2009 the airport had 93,874 aircraft operations, average 257 per day: 97% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and <1% military. 387 aircraft were then based at the airport: 83% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 5% jet, and 2% helicopter.

Accidents

On the evening of December 23, 1985 a Beechcraft Baron N1494G, executing a missed instrument approach procedure from an approach to runway 19R, lost control and crashed into the roof of the Macy's Department Store at nearby Sunvalley Mall, killing the pilot and two passengers and seriously injuring 84 Christmas shoppers in the crowded mall, mainly by spraying them with burning fuel. Four of the victims on the ground later died. The accident brought increased opposition to the airport and caused Pacific Southwest Airlines to delay scheduled passenger flights that had been planned to start in January 1986.

Another plane crashed on April 13, 2004, shortly after leaving Buchanan Field. The plane landed on a minivan traveling down nearby Interstate 680 in Pleasant Hill and nearly severed the left leg of a 12-year-old girl (Her leg was successfully reattached and she has made a near full recovery). Officials determined the crash was the fault of a mechanic who had worked on the plane.

On December 21, 2006, at about 1900 Zulu, a Piper Malibu (PA46) crashed while flying the LDA (Localizer Directional Aid) approach into CCR. The aircraft was flying too low and hit obstructions on the ground. The plane hit the median of Highway 4, crashing between the highway and Marsh Drive just north of the runway. Three passengers were killed instantly one died after surgery.

On October 25, 2016, shortly after departing Buchanan Field, a Beechcraft Bonanza registered N364RM crashed into a hill near Kirker Pass Road in Concord. The two occupants, both pilots, were killed in the crash. No one on the ground was injured. The investigation is ongoing and the cause of the accident has not yet been determined.