# Accident 19971221039309A: Piper PA24260, Healdsburg, CA, December 21, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 21, 1997, 14:30 local time
- Place: Healdsburg, CA
- Airport: Healdsburg Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6297° N, 122.8901° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6297&lon=-122.8901&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8805P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8805P-2022-04-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-260 (registry code 7102406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-260) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24260
- Reported engine: LYC IO540D4A5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 309 total, 59 in this make and model, 36 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA062](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA062) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971221039309A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

TRIED FOR SHORT FIELD LANDING LOW AND SLOW REPORTED DOWNDRAFT CAUSED A LANDING SHORT OF RUNWAY. (-23) NO NARRATIVE.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (.4)THE PILOT WAS MAKING A SHORT FIELD APPROACH AND HAD INCREASED HIS AIRSPEED ABOVE THE RECOMMENDED APPROACH SPEED DUE TO BLOWING WINDS. ON SHORT FINAL HE ENCOUNTERED WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS A WIND SHEAR.  HE APPLIED POWER AND INCREASED BACK PRESSURE BUT WAS UNABLE TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM LANDING SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.  THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP.  A DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER REPORTED THE PILOT HAD FAILED HIS INITIAL COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TEST 6 DAYS EARLIER, AND DURING THE TEST, HAD MADE A SHORT FIELD APPROACH THAT WAS TOO HIGH, TOO FAST, AND HE HAD LANDED TOO LONG TO MEET STANDARDS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA062](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA062), Dec 21, 1997: Piper PA-24-260 (N8805P), Healdsburg, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's misjudged distance and altitude relationship to the runway during a short field approach, which resulted in an undershoot and a hard landing.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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