Macready Field/Merced Municipal Airport, Merced, CA

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Merced Macready Airport Today




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Airport Area Accident History:

Accident occurred Monday, August 31, 2009 in Merced, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/15/2009
Aircraft: CESSNA 152, registration: N5155B
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
During the landing flare for a full-stop landing, the airplane touched down hard, and bounced into the air. The student pilot attempted to arrest the descent, but the airplane's nose wheel hit the runway surface with sufficient force to collapse the nose gear strut and to damage the firewall.

Accident occurred Tuesday, May 15, 2007 in Merced, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/25/2007
Aircraft: Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (AMD) CH 2000, registration: N363AM
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The flight instructor said the instructional flight was to prepare the student for his stage two check, which was to be followed by his first solo flight. The student had received 41.2 hours of instruction, with 5.4 hours in this make/model aircraft. The flight instructor had planned for a simulated engine failure after takeoff; it was the flight instructor's first practice simulated engine failure after takeoff in this make/model aircraft. He pulled the throttle to idle, but the student held the yoke in the climb attitude as opposed to nosing the airplane down for best glide speed. The flight instructor said that he realized the airspeed was low and the aircraft was in a high rate of descent, but his remedial attempts did not prevent a hard landing . The airplane's firewall was wrinkled, and the empennage and horizontal stabilizer were bent. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The student pilot's inadvertent stall/mush during a simulated power loss after takeoff and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's lack of familiarity with the make/model of aircraft. ===
Accident occurred Wednesday, April 19, 2006 in Merced, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/29/2006
Aircraft: Cessna 152 , registration: N757GF
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The airplane settled to the ground during an attempted go-around from a bounced landing. The certified flight instructor (CFI) said that the accident occurred following the student's bounced landing on runway 30 and attempted go-around. The student applied full engine power, retracted the wing flaps to the 10-degree setting, turned the carburetor heat off, and lost directional control of the airplane. The CFI reported that the airplane yawed violently left, at which point he took the flight controls from his student while the airplane was still in ground effect . The CFI decided to continue the go-around procedure, but he was not able to salvage the maneuver, and the airplane continued a slow descent to the ground. The CFI further reported that the airplane touched down on the ground adjacent to the runway. Thereafter, directional control was lost and the airplane was substantially damaged when the left wing impacted the ground. At the time of the occurrence, the wind speed was 3 knots. The CFI had been a flight instructor for about 6 months prior to the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: the failure of the student and certified flight instructor to maintain directional control and obtain/maintain an adequate airspeed during the attempted go-around. The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight was also causal. ===
Accident occurred Tuesday, August 05, 2003 in Merced, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/28/2004
Aircraft: Bell 206B, registration: N9254Y
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
The pilot reported he was landing on a concrete pad at a construction site . The helicopter was not positioned completely on the concrete landing pad, and the aft section of the skids were hanging off the pad. While lowering the collective, the helicopter rocked back and the tail rotor skid touched the ground. The pilot abruptly attempted to pull the helicopter back into a hover, and the helicopter moved forward and started to roll to the right. The pilot was unable to stop the rolling movement, and the helicopter struck the ground, coming to rest on its right side. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's excessive movement of the helicopter's controls during an aborted landing, which resulted in a loss of control (dynamic rollover) and an in-flight collision with terrain. ===
Accident occurred Friday, August 31, 2001 in Merced, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/28/2002
Aircraft: Funk Aircraft Co. C, registration: N22694
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The pilot stated that he had departed the Merced airport approximately 1400. He climbed upwind until reaching an indicated altitude of 700 feet, and then began a left turn to 210 degrees for an on-course heading to Frazier Lake. At this point, he began to feel a slight loss of engine power, followed by a slow reduction of engine power, which eventually reached a nearly wind milling condition. He pumped the throttle, but the engine did not respond. He attempted to return to the airport, but realized he was too far away to land on the runway. He landed in a plowed field, where the airplane nosed over. According to the pilot, the wing tanks were empty at the time of departure, and the only tank in use was the fuselage tank. He stated that a possible cause of the engine failure was the use of a non-vented fuel tank cap . A post accident examination of the engine revealed the only discrepancy was a non-vented fuel cap on the fuselage tank. As fuel was being drained from the tank through the carburetor the drain flow ceased. The fuselage fuel tank cap was removed, a vacuum sound was heard, and the drain flow began again. The pilot stated he had switched the fuselage fuel tank cap prior to the last annual inspection that occurred 6 months and 8 hours prior to this flight. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's improper modification of the airplane when he switched a non-vented fuel cap to the fuselage tank. A factor was the inadequate annual inspection.
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