- Date
- April 8, 1987, 20:40 local (Apr 9, 1987, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8381ZCessna 205
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870408008879A
- Case key
- 11314
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt stated that this was the first time he had ever landed on rwy 32. During the lndg apch, about 15 secs before touchdown, his eyeglasses broke and fell off his face. He reached for his spare eyeglasses that were on top of the instrument panel; however, during this effort the spare eyeglasses fell on the floor next to the right-seat-rudder pedals. He became preoccupied with retrieving the eyeglasses and as a result the acft touched down to the left of the rwy centerline at an excessive speed. Afterwards the acft floated in the air and drifted left. The l wing hit small trees that were 10 to 15 ft left of the rwy. The plt was unable to maintain directional control and as a result the acft went off the left side of the rwy. Examination of the accident site revealed the landing gear was on the rwy when the wing hit the trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8381Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 205
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 205-0381
- Airframe hours
- 2,568
- Engine
- Continental IO-470S, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Safe Flight Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1987 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- LBO · Lebanon, MO
- Destination
- W66 · Midland, VA
- Airport
- W66 · Warrenton-Fauquick, runway 32, 4,106 × 60 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.