Pilot Debrief

CESSNA T210N near Amarillo, TX — 2011-08-05

Final reportCEN11LA552
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Date
2011-08-05
Location
Amarillo, TX, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA T210N
Registration
N829MB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot noticed a loss of engine power while descending to land, and he made several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and made a forced landing to rugged, uneven terrain north of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a gully and flipped over. The pilot said he did not observe any fuel leaking from the airplane after the accident, and a postaccident inspection of the grassy area around and under the airplane revealed no discoloration from fuel exposure. Examination of the fuel system revealed no mechanical anomalies or blockages, and the fuel selector was set to the right fuel tank. A review of fuel receipts and data downloaded from the engine analyzer revealed there should have been about 58 gallons of fuel on board at the time of the accident. However, only 20 gallons of fuel (15 gallons from the right tank and 5 gallons from the left tank) were drained from the airplane. The missing 38 gallons could not be accounted for. Data from the engine analyzer was downloaded and confirmed a loss of engine power, but it did not identify the cause of the loss of engine power. About 1 minute later, both values dropped to zero. When the engine was test run, it started immediately and ran through its full power band without interruption. No mechanical anomalies were noted that would have precluded the engine from operating normally. Even with a discrepancy of 38 gallons, there was still adequate fuel available for the engine to continue operating. It could not be determined what caused the loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not visually check fuel levels before departure from Dumas.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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