Pilot Debrief

CESSNA T210 near Burleson, TX — 2022-10-27

Final reportCEN23LA021
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Date
2022-10-27
Location
Burleson, TX, USA
Airport
FWS
Aircraft
CESSNA T210
Registration
N36X
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s mismanagement of the fuel supply, which led to fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane’s engine did not respond when he attempted to increase power while on final approach to land at the conclusion of a 4-hour flight. The airplane was about ½ mile from the runway at 200 ft above ground level (agl) at the time. He attempted to switch tanks and selected full rich mixture, but the engine did not restart. The pilot continued the landing, but the airplane struck the runway approach lighting system about 1,000 ft short of the runway and came to rest between the approach lights and the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. The right fuel tank did not contain any usable fuel at the time of the examination and the tank was not compromised. Based on the available evidence, the loss of engine power was likely due to mismanagement of the airplane’s fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation. Due to the low altitude the airplane’s engine likely had insufficient time to restart after the pilot switched tanks following the loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have ensured adequate fuel before switching tanks.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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