Pilot Debrief

CESSNA T210L near Buena Vista, CO — 2021-06-14

Final reportCEN21LA271
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Date
2021-06-14
Location
Buena Vista, CO, USA
Airport
LXV
Aircraft
CESSNA T210L
Registration
N30286
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power due to a vane failure in the engine-driven fuel pump.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was over mountains and near the destination airport when the engine temperature and fuel flow gauges “dropped” and the engine lost partial power. The pilot pushed the throttle in and turned on the auxiliary fuel pump to the “high” position, but those actions had no effect on the engine power. The pilot troubleshot the loss of power; however, there was no change. The pilot then located a flat, treeless area for a forced landing. During the forced landing the landing gear separated and the airplane came to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage, firewall, and left outboard wing. A postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine-driven fuel pump showed that one of the pump’s two carbon vanes had fractured in half. How the carbon vane fractured was not determined. The severed fuel pump vane likely resulted in fuel cavitation, a drop in pump outlet pressure, a gradual decrease in engine rpm, and subsequent partial loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel system before flight to prevent power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents6

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