Byron Airport, Byron, CA

Airport Location:  The Byron Airport is located 2 miles south of Byron, California.

Airport History:

The Byron Airpark was purchased in 1986, and the new airfield constructed in the early 1990's.  The new Byron Airport was opened to the public in October 1994, replacing the Byron Airpark that occupied the northwest corner of the current airport property.   

Byron Airport Today:  Byron Airport is a County owned, public use airport currently classified as a reliever airport by the FAA. Over half of the current airport land (814 acres) is reserved for endangered and special status mammals and plants. Obstructions reported; raising terrain with many windmills on ridges west of the airport; Intensive flight training; Helicopter operations; parachuting; Soaring; Ultralights; 



Byron Airport Services and Amenities:  Bay Area Skydiving; Aero Sport Maintenance; Fuel; Chevron Texaco 100LL; Self service: 100LL 24 hours; Taxi and rental cars available; Food within 1 mile; Lodging within 5 miles;

Special Events and Attractions: Bethany State Recreational Area;

Airport Area Accident History:

On February 23, 2010, about 1330 Pacific standard time, a Schweizer Aircraft Corporation, G-164B, N8494K, experienced a loss of engine power near Byron, California. Haley Flying Service, Inc., operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an agricultural crop-dusting operation. The airplane sustained structural damage after making a forced landing on a soft dirt field and nosing over onto its back. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions were prevalent in the area, and no flight plan had been filed.

According to the pilot, on the accident flight he had flown 15 minutes when the loss of engine power occurred. He had just finished spraying a field and was making a turn back to the operator's airstrip when the engine began to run rough, and there was a significant power loss. As the airplane was at a low altitude, he had just enough time to turn into the wind and line up with an open field. The pilot described the field as being deeply furrowed and bare. Upon touchdown the tires and landing gear sank into the soft wet ground, and the airplane nosed over.

The airplane was located 2 days later by an airborne pilot who observed it in the field and reported it to Northern California terminal radar approach control (TRACON) personnel.
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Accident occurred Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/28/2008
Aircraft: Antares - Balaban MA33, registration: N92287
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot was landing the two-seat amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft at his planned destination when the accident occurred. The pilot stated about 10-feet above ground level (agl) "...we suddenly dropped through the air and the aircraft hit the ground hard." The aircraft's nose gear fork separated and the aircraft veered off the runway and nosed over. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the aircraft were reported.
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Accident occurred Wednesday, July 09, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/28/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172R, registration: N354ES
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot reported that he was practicing touch-and-go landings at Byron Airport on runway 5. The wind was nearly calm. His third approach to the runway, with 30 degrees of wing flaps extended, was normal. The airplane touched down at near its stall speed without incident. After touching down softly, the airplane suddenly veered left. The pilot reported that he attempted to redirect the airplane back toward the runway, but he was not successful. The airplane impacted a taxiway directional sign, and the left wing's lift strut was bent. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported by the student pilot during the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration coordinator reported that a subsequent examination of the airplane by the flight school's operator revealed the brakes functioned normally following the accident.
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Accident occurred Monday, June 09, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/30/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172M, registration: N9328H
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot landed on runway 30, which is 4,500-foot-long by 100-foot wide. During rollout, the airplane began veering toward the right side of the runway. The student reported that he "stepped on the right rudder/brakes" and "lost directional control." An estimated 30-foot-long skid mark was observed on the runway leading off its right side. Thereafter, the airplane entered a grassy open field and came to rest upon colliding with the up sloping side of a ravine.
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Accident occurred Friday, June 06, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/30/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172M, registration: N73403
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and a student were practicing landings. They made two successful landings, and were on approach for a third. Around this time, the recorded winds were from 250 degrees at 7 knots gusting to 18. When the airplane was 50 feet above ground level (agl), and over the runway numbers, the student reduced power to idle per the CFI's instructions. At that moment, the airplane encountered a sudden wind shift or gust, which abruptly caused the airplane to pitch down and bank to the right. The CFI added full power, and applied back pressure on the yoke, but was unable to keep the airplane from descending rapidly. The nose gear and right main landing gear violently struck the runway. The nose gear broke off, and the airplane bounced. The CFI regained control, and landed the airplane on both main landing gear while keeping the nose gear off the ground as long as possible. The nose settled on the broken nose gear strut, and the airplane stopped on the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and his inadequate supervision of the student pilot. Factors contributing to the accident were a sudden wind shift and wind gusts. ===
Accident occurred Monday, June 09, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/30/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172M, registration: N9328H
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot landed on runway 30, which is 4,500-foot-long by 100-foot wide. During rollout, the airplane began veering toward the right side of the runway. The student reported that he "stepped on the right rudder/brakes" and "lost directional control." An estimated 30-foot-long skid mark was observed on the runway leading off its right side. Thereafter, the airplane entered a grassy open field and came to rest upon colliding with the up sloping side of a ravine. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout. ===
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 09, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/28/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172R, registration: N354ES
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot reported that he was practicing touch-and-go landings at Byron Airport on runway 5. The wind was nearly calm. His third approach to the runway, with 30 degrees of wing flaps extended, was normal. The airplane touched down at near its stall speed without incident. After touching down softly, the airplane suddenly veered left. The pilot reported that he attempted to redirect the airplane back toward the runway, but he was not successful. The airplane impacted a taxiway directional sign, and the left wing's lift strut was bent. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported by the student pilot during the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration coordinator reported that a subsequent examination of the airplane by the flight school's operator revealed the brakes functioned normally following the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout. ===
Accident occurred Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/28/2008
Aircraft: Antares - Balaban MA33, registration: N92287
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot was landing the two-seat amateur-built experimental light sport aircraft at his planned destination when the accident occurred. The pilot stated about 10-feet above ground level (agl) "...we suddenly dropped through the air and the aircraft hit the ground hard." The aircraft's nose gear fork separated and the aircraft veered off the runway and nosed over. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the left wing. No mechanical anomalies or malfunctions with the aircraft were reported. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush. ===
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 14, 2007 in Byron, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/31/2008
Aircraft: Piper PA-44-180, registration: N274ER
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
After touchdown during the landing roll, the flight instructor heard a "clunking" sound, followed by the airplane dropping slightly to the right. The flight instructor subsequently heard a second "clunk" as the airplane's right wing dropped to the runway. A post-accident examination revealed that the right main landing gear aft trunnion attach fitting had failed. A subsequent metallurgical examination revealed that although a fatigue region was identified on one of the 3 fracture surfaces, it was relatively small, and that the attach fitting most likely failed due to overload. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The failure of the right main landing gear aft trunnion attach fitting due to overload during the landing roll. ===
Accident occurred Monday, June 19, 2000 in BYRON, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/17/2001
Aircraft: Beech G35, registration: N5801
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
The instructional flight was to practice instrument approaches to local airports. The airplane was observed by witnesses to overfly the accident airport about 1,200 feet above ground level. Their attention was drawn to the airplane when they heard the engine either shutdown or power back to idle. They observed the airplane glide around and make a low pass down runway 05 at an altitude of 200-300 feet agl. The airplane then made a steep left turn toward runway 30. During this turn, the nose pitched down and the aircraft impacted the ground with its nose and left wing tip, approximately 150 feet to the right of runway 30 centerline. An engine examination was conducted at the airplane recovery facility in the presence of the Federal Aviation Administration. All engine systems and functions were examined for operational ability and conditions. Fuel was found in the gascolator housing and the fuel flow divider screen was clean. All three propeller blades displayed tortional twisting, leading edge damage, and chordwise striations. The uncontrolled airport has a common traffic advisory frequency of 123.05 mHz. One communication radio was found at 123.3 mHz. The airport was unattended the day of the accident. Wing flaps were estimated at 10 to 15 degrees of extension. The landing gear was in the retracted position. The airplane had a dual control yoke installed. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: in-flight loss of control and inadvertent stall. ===
Accident occurred Monday, February 21, 2000 in BYRON, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/2/2001
Aircraft: Hiller H-12E, registration: N61PC
Injuries: 1 Minor.
The pilot collided with wires and impacted terrain while maneuvering during a morning aerial application flight. The pilot indicated that the accident could have been prevented had he performed a better reconnaissance of the area, avoided distractions, and approached the wires with the sun at his back. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's inadequate visual lookout while maneuvering in proximity to wires. A contributing factor was the sun glare, which reduced the wire's conspicuity.

Airport Approach / Landing Video: