Wikipedia

Buchanan Field Airport

For other airports in places named Concord, seeConcord Airport.

Buchanan Field Airport[2](IATA:CCR,ICAO:KCCR,FAALID:CCR) is a medium-sized general and business public airport inContra Costa County,California,United States,[1][3]one mile west of the center ofConcord[1][3]and just east ofPachecoin theSan Francisco Bay Area.The airport's street address is 181John Glenn Drive Ste. 100, Concord.[2]

Buchanan Field Airport
Concord Army Air Base
USGSorthophoto,2006
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerContra Costa County
ServesContra Costa County, California
Location
ElevationAMSL26 ft / 8 m
Coordinates37°59′23″N122°03′25″W/ 37.98972°N 122.05694°W/37.98972; -122.05694
Maps
250
FAA diagram
CCR is located in California
CCR
CCR
CCR is located in the United States
CCR
CCR
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1L/19R 5,001 1,524
  • Asphalt
  • concrete
1R/19L 2,770 844 Asphalt
14L/32R 4,602 1,403
  • Asphalt
  • concrete
14R/32L 2,798 853 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations (year ending 4/30/2022)119,598
Based aircraft340

TheNational Plan of Integrated Airport Systemsfor 2011–15categorizedit as areliever airport,[4]and it has an FAA certifiedairport traffic control tower.

History

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In 1942Contra Costa County, California,purchased land for an airport in Central County forUS$88,000.The airport was being developed by the county until theUnited States Army Air ForcesFourth Air Forceexpropriatedthe site. The Army added land and built airport facilities and a training base forpilots,Concord Army Air Base.[5]

In 1946 theWar Assets Administration(WAA) returned the airport to the county. In 1947 the transfer was formalized and the airport was named for County Supervisor WilliamJ. Buchanan, who served on the county Board of Supervisors (BOS) for more than forty years. The airport continued to be used on occasion by theUnited States Armyto transport troops, especially during theKorean War.[5]

In 1972George Lucasused Buchanan Field Airport for one of the last exterior scenes in the movieAmerican Graffiti.In the scene, Steven Bolander (Ron Howard) says goodbye to friend Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) before Curt leaves for college on theDouglas DC-7Cin the background.

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 ofSan Francisco International Airport,John F. Kennedy International Airport,andLaGuardia Airport.During this time noise became a concern and in 1988 the county BOS instituted a countynoise restrictionordinance restricting certain aircraft from operating at Buchanan Field.[5]

Beginning in the 1990s the county BOS updated the Buchanan Field AirportMaster Plan.Commercial development of adjacent properties such asSam's Club,Taco Bell,Sports Authority,andJiffy Lubewas allowed in 1992.[5]The county has developed a new airport inByronin the eastern part of the county.[5][6]

On August 14, 2018, the county BOS passed a resolution declaring the economic importance of these airports by recognizing that they are essential economic engines that aid Contra Costa County to meet the current and future transportation and economic needs of the community. The BOS further directed staff to proactively pursue innovation and sustainable opportunities to enhance the economic development potential of the airports, as they are capital assets to the county and an integrated transportation asset to the Bay Area region.[citation needed]

Airline and destinations

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Current airline service

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JSXstarted commercial airline service on April 19, 2016, withEmbraer 135aircraft.[7]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
JSXBurbank,Las Vegas,Orange County[8]

Past airline service

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Buchanan Field had commuter airline flights toSan Francisco International Airportfrom 1969 to 1979 onStol Air CommuterBritten-Norman BN-2 IslandersandBritten-Norman BN-2A Trislanders.In 1969San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines(also known as SFO Helicopter) scheduledSikorsky S-61snonstop toOakland International Airportcontinuing toSFO,up to five flights a day.[9]SFO Helicopter had left the airport by 1975.[10]In 1978 Stol Air had up to six flights a day to SFO; they ended in 1979.[11][12]

Airline service returned to the airport in mid-1984: for less than a year,WestAir Commuter Airlines,successor to Stol Air, had eight weekdayde Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Ottersto SFO.[13]WestAir, then independent, leftConcordbefore becoming aUnited Expressairline.

Jet service arrived whenPacific Southwest Airlines (PSA)began nonstopBAe 146-200stoLos Angeles International Airport(LAX) on May 1, 1986. In 1988, after being acquired byUSAir,PSA had four weekday BAe 146s to LAX with one continuing to San Diego.[14]In 1991 USAir replaced the BAe 146s to LAX withUSAir ExpressDash 8s, thenBeechcraft 1900Cs;these ended around the end of 1991.[15]

In 1991American Eagle Airlines(Wings West Airlines) had four dailyFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerstoAmerican Airlines' hub at San Jose.[15]American later shut down its San Jose hub and American Eagle dropped Concord in 1992.[citation needed]

Facilities

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Buchanan Field covers 495 acres (200 hectares) at an elevation of 26 feet (7.9 meters). It has four asphalt and concrete runways: 1L/19R is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 by 46 meters), 1R/19L is 2,770 by 75 feet (844 m × 23 m), 14L/32R is 4,602 by 150 feet (1,403 m × 46 m), and 14R/32L is 2,798 by 75 feet (853 m × 23 m).[1]

In the year ending April 30, 2022, the airport had 119,598 aircraft operations, an average of 327 per day: 95 percentgeneral aviation,5 percentair taxi,and less than 1 percent military and less than 1 percent commercial. 340 aircraft were then based at the airport: 284 single-engine, 30 multi-engine, 17 jet, and 9helicopter.[1]

Accidents

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On the evening of December 23, 1985, aBeechcraft BaronN1494G, executing a missed approach from aninstrument approach(IAP) to runway 19R, lost control and crashed into the roof of theMacy'sdepartment store at the nearbySunvalley Shopping Center,killing the pilot and two passengers and seriously injuring 84 people in the crowded mall, spraying them with burningaviation fuel.Four of the victims on the ground later died. The accident brought increased opposition to the airport and causedPacific Southwest Airlines(PSA) to delay its 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 nearbyInterstate 680inPleasant Hilland injured a 12-year-old girl. Officials determined the crash was the fault of anaircraft maintenance technicianwho had worked on the plane.[16]

On December 21, 2006, at about 11:05 a.m., a 1989Piper Malibu(PA46), registered as N1AM, crashed while flying the LDA (localizer type directional aid) approach into CCR. The aircraft was too low and hit obstructions on the ground. The plane hit the median ofHighway 4,crashing between the highway and Marsh Drive just north of the runway. Three passengers were killed instantly, and another died after surgery.[17]

Piper accident at Buchanan Field that killed three adults and a child – December 21, 2006

On October 25, 2016, shortly after departing Buchanan Field, aBeechcraft Bonanzaregistered as 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 was unable to determine the cause of the accident, although issues with a recent avionics upgrade were suspected.[18]

On January 30, 2024, a Van’s AircraftRV-6,a single-engine plane, crashed at around 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Concord Ave. and Diamond Boulevard, near the southern end of the airport. The pilot, who was the only occupant of the plane, was killed in the crash.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdeFAA Airport Form 5010 for CCRPDF.Federal Aviation Administration. Effective July 13, 2023.
  2. ^ab"Contra Costa County Airports".Archived fromthe originalon April 26, 2012.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
  3. ^ab"Buchanan Field".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.RetrievedMay 4,2009.
  4. ^"2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A (PDF, 2.03 MB)"(PDF).National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 27, 2012.
  5. ^abcde"The History of Contra Costa County Airports".Contra Costa County Airports. Archived fromthe originalon August 20, 2008.RetrievedAugust 14,2007.
  6. ^This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency
  7. ^"Meet JetSuiteX, An Operation Trying to Turn an Unloved Regional Jet into Something Awesome".April 6, 2016.RetrievedMay 31,2022.
  8. ^"Where we fly".RetrievedMay 31,2022.
  9. ^http://www.timetableimages.com,April 27, 1969, SFO Helicopter timetable
  10. ^http://www.timetableimages.com,Oct. 26, 1975, SFO Helicopter timetable
  11. ^http://www.timetableimages.com,June 1, 1978, Stol Air timetable
  12. ^http://www.departedflights.com,Nov. 15, 1979, Official Airline Guide
  13. ^http://www.departedflights.com,Feb. 15, 1985, Official Airline Guide
  14. ^http://www.departedflights.com,Feb. 17, 1988, PSA timetable
  15. ^abhttp://www.departedflights.com,Oct. 1, 1991, Official Airline Guide
  16. ^Fagan, Kevin; Hallissy, Erin (June 24, 2011)."Small plane crashes on I-680 at rush hour / Girl in van injured -- pilot walks away".The San Francisco Chronicle.
  17. ^"Names Of Concord Plane Crash Victims Released".December 22, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 29,2014.
  18. ^"NTSB Accident Report".NTSB Accident Report.February 26, 2019.
  19. ^"NBC report".NBC.January 31, 2024.
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