Piper PA-25-235 accident near Waynesville, Ohio, February 19, 1989
On February 19, 1989 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8510L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waynesville, Ohio (Caesar Creek Gliderport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DELAYED HIS LANDING/TOUCHDOWN, MISJUDGED THE DISTANCE OF THE REMAINING RUNWAY AND DID NOT GO AROUND. THE SLICK/THAWING RUNWAY CONDITIONS AND THE FENCES WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1989 · about 9:15 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Waynesville, Ohio · Caesar Creek Gliderport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8510L · registry record · serial 25-4925
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD HE HAD MADE SEVERAL GLIDER TOW FLTS FROM THE GRASS STRIP, WHICH INITIALLY WAS FROZEN. ON THE LAST 2 FLTS, HE TOOK OFF TO THE WEST & LANDED TO THE EAST IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT TOW. AFTER THE 7TH TOW, HE HAD PLANNED A 'LONG' LANDING & THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN PAST THE HALFWAY POINT IN CALM WIND. THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES, BRAKING WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE ACFT CONTD OFF THE END OF THE RWY & WENT THRU 2 FENCES BEFORE STOPPING. AT THE TIME OF THE ACDNT, THE FROZEN GROUND HAD JUST STARTED TO THAW AT THE SURFACE WHICH MADE THE GRASS SLIPPERY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,811 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,719 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,083 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 1988; 189 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,800 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8510L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8510L on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-25 Pawnee 455 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5 13 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8510L 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL89LA092.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.