N5534M

On June 22, 2006, at 0920 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5534M, landed hard and the left wing struck the runway at Buchanan Field Airport, Concord, California. Pacific States Aviation, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to a rib in the left wing. The pilot departed from Concord and was performing his first solo landing when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.

In a written statement, the student pilot reported that the downwind and base turn of the traffic pattern were uneventful. When he turned the airplane onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, he noticed smoke coming from a field close to the runway. The student pilot was worried about his flight visibility and the effects that the smoke would have on the handling characteristics of the airplane. Due to these concerns, he was less focused on his landing and approached the runway at too high of an airspeed. When the airplane touched down, it bounced three times and drifted to the left. He added right rudder to prevent the airplane from veering off of the runway and the airplane sharply turned to the right and the left wing struck the ground. The student pilot said that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.