Narrative:

On the evening of jun/xx/97 I had been through a series of high stress events regarding my job and had not been sleeping very well for several days. Wife complained that I was keeping her awake at night with my restlessness and issued us both 2 excedrin pm around XA30 claiming it would help us both get some rest. Around XB30 a friend called and asked if I could do him a favor and fly him to phx as X air carrier was unable to honor his ticket. We could use his business partner's T210 (which I have flown several times) for the trip and as I had some business of my own I could do I agreed it would be a mutually beneficial trip and agreed to meet him for an XK30 departure the next morning. I set my alarm for XI30, sleeping well I woke up feeling well rested, refreshed and ready to go. I arrived at the airport early, did a very thorough preflight and we departed on time with great flying conditions. The flight to phx was uneventful, however, I missed a few little things that I normally do instinctively, like mixture leaning and closing cowl flaps until way after they should have been taken care of. I requested the coded approach for phx and landed uneventfully a bit disturbed that I overshot my intended land spot by almost 500 ft -- again not a big deal, but unusual for me. I tended to my business there at phx and departed around XQ00 -- this is where things got worse. My father was with us and requested instruction on the return flight. He is noncurrent and would like to regain his currency. After receiving clearance, ground requested we taxi without delay to the runway and be ready to go. We began a rapid taxi as I ran the checklist and damn near let the aircraft taxi onto the active runway, applying the brakes and skidding to a stop just as the nose of the aircraft intercepted the hold line. No harm but embarrassing just the same. After corrections were made we departed phx and I missed a gyro setting of almost 20 degrees and climbed through an assigned altitude by almost 200 ft. After clearing the class B airspace, everything went well, but I was very embarrassed by my lack of performance. For days I agonized over the morning events trying to figure out why I had performed so badly, even waking up at night with it on my mind. On the evening of jun/xy/97 again I tried the sleeping aid. The next day was very similar to that of jun/xx/97. I walked into an open door, pulled out in front of a car at an intersection, forgot to take my coffee cup of the roof, etc. Even my second day was not a real confidence builder having made way too many typing errors in this memo. Finally, I put the 2 events together and got a common denominator (the sleeping aid). This stuff sold over the counter and seemed to have no side effects, but its true physiological effects linger for much longer than I would expect and are so stealthy as to be unperceived. So this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to write a NASA report to maybe help keep someone else from making the same mistake. I will not trust this type of medication again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 ACFT. RPTR PLT BELIEVES PROLONGED EFFECT FROM TAKING SLEEPING AID CAUSED CONFUSION AND SLOPPY FLYING.

Narrative: ON THE EVENING OF JUN/XX/97 I HAD BEEN THROUGH A SERIES OF HIGH STRESS EVENTS REGARDING MY JOB AND HAD NOT BEEN SLEEPING VERY WELL FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WIFE COMPLAINED THAT I WAS KEEPING HER AWAKE AT NIGHT WITH MY RESTLESSNESS AND ISSUED US BOTH 2 EXCEDRIN PM AROUND XA30 CLAIMING IT WOULD HELP US BOTH GET SOME REST. AROUND XB30 A FRIEND CALLED AND ASKED IF I COULD DO HIM A FAVOR AND FLY HIM TO PHX AS X ACR WAS UNABLE TO HONOR HIS TICKET. WE COULD USE HIS BUSINESS PARTNER'S T210 (WHICH I HAVE FLOWN SEVERAL TIMES) FOR THE TRIP AND AS I HAD SOME BUSINESS OF MY OWN I COULD DO I AGREED IT WOULD BE A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRIP AND AGREED TO MEET HIM FOR AN XK30 DEP THE NEXT MORNING. I SET MY ALARM FOR XI30, SLEEPING WELL I WOKE UP FEELING WELL RESTED, REFRESHED AND READY TO GO. I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT EARLY, DID A VERY THOROUGH PREFLT AND WE DEPARTED ON TIME WITH GREAT FLYING CONDITIONS. THE FLT TO PHX WAS UNEVENTFUL, HOWEVER, I MISSED A FEW LITTLE THINGS THAT I NORMALLY DO INSTINCTIVELY, LIKE MIXTURE LEANING AND CLOSING COWL FLAPS UNTIL WAY AFTER THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. I REQUESTED THE CODED APCH FOR PHX AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY A BIT DISTURBED THAT I OVERSHOT MY INTENDED LAND SPOT BY ALMOST 500 FT -- AGAIN NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT UNUSUAL FOR ME. I TENDED TO MY BUSINESS THERE AT PHX AND DEPARTED AROUND XQ00 -- THIS IS WHERE THINGS GOT WORSE. MY FATHER WAS WITH US AND REQUESTED INSTRUCTION ON THE RETURN FLT. HE IS NONCURRENT AND WOULD LIKE TO REGAIN HIS CURRENCY. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC, GND REQUESTED WE TAXI WITHOUT DELAY TO THE RWY AND BE READY TO GO. WE BEGAN A RAPID TAXI AS I RAN THE CHKLIST AND DAMN NEAR LET THE ACFT TAXI ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY, APPLYING THE BRAKES AND SKIDDING TO A STOP JUST AS THE NOSE OF THE ACFT INTERCEPTED THE HOLD LINE. NO HARM BUT EMBARRASSING JUST THE SAME. AFTER CORRECTIONS WERE MADE WE DEPARTED PHX AND I MISSED A GYRO SETTING OF ALMOST 20 DEGS AND CLBED THROUGH AN ASSIGNED ALT BY ALMOST 200 FT. AFTER CLRING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, EVERYTHING WENT WELL, BUT I WAS VERY EMBARRASSED BY MY LACK OF PERFORMANCE. FOR DAYS I AGONIZED OVER THE MORNING EVENTS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY I HAD PERFORMED SO BADLY, EVEN WAKING UP AT NIGHT WITH IT ON MY MIND. ON THE EVENING OF JUN/XY/97 AGAIN I TRIED THE SLEEPING AID. THE NEXT DAY WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF JUN/XX/97. I WALKED INTO AN OPEN DOOR, PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF A CAR AT AN INTXN, FORGOT TO TAKE MY COFFEE CUP OF THE ROOF, ETC. EVEN MY SECOND DAY WAS NOT A REAL CONFIDENCE BUILDER HAVING MADE WAY TOO MANY TYPING ERRORS IN THIS MEMO. FINALLY, I PUT THE 2 EVENTS TOGETHER AND GOT A COMMON DENOMINATOR (THE SLEEPING AID). THIS STUFF SOLD OVER THE COUNTER AND SEEMED TO HAVE NO SIDE EFFECTS, BUT ITS TRUE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS LINGER FOR MUCH LONGER THAN I WOULD EXPECT AND ARE SO STEALTHY AS TO BE UNPERCEIVED. SO THIS MORNING, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO WRITE A NASA RPT TO MAYBE HELP KEEP SOMEONE ELSE FROM MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE. I WILL NOT TRUST THIS TYPE OF MEDICATION AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.