N8217T

On August 24, 1996, at 1500 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 175, N8217T, was substantially damaged during landing. The airplane collided with a fence, and a ditch at the end of the approximately 1,800 foot long private grass runway, near Dexter, Iowa. The pilot and passenger were uninjured in the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 that this was a local photographic flight. The pilot reported that the takeoff was made to the south. For landing the pilot reported that he was south of the private airstrip, and lined up the airplane for a straight in landing to the north. A tailwind was reported by the pilot of approximately 5 knots during landing. During landing roll the pilot reported that when he applied the brakes on the grass runway the tires began to skid. The pilot reported that the airplane went past the end of the runway, hitting the fence and ditch.

The local elevation around Dexter, Iowa, is approximately 1,300 feet above mean sea level. The Cessna pilot manual lists the landing ground roll distance for a Cessna 175, at 2,500 feet elevation, at 2,350 pounds, with 40 degrees of flaps, on a hard surface runway, at 50 degrees fahrenheit, as 620 feet. The total landing distance over a 50 foot obstacle with all of the above conditions, is listed at 1,220 feet.

The airplane's nose strut was broken off, the firewall, propeller and cowling were bent.