Piper PA-24-260 accident near Healdsburg, California, December 21, 1997
On December 21, 1997 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8805P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Healdsburg, California (Healdsburg Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1997 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Healdsburg, California · Healdsburg Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8805P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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 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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 309 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,069 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1997; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 203 Angwin CA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,707 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 pm from STS, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.