Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 210 near Minden, LA — 2017-04-15

Final reportCEN17LA157
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Date
2017-04-15
Location
Minden, LA, USA
Airport
KMNE
Aircraft
CESSNA 210
Registration
N7358E
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were on a cross-country personal flight in a single-engine airplane. As the airplane approached the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot turned on the fuel boost pump and switched fuel tanks, but engine power was not restored. The pilot selected a field for a forced landing, during which the airplane impacted a tree and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. During the recovery of the airplane, about 5 gallons of fuel were drained from each wing fuel tank. An engine test run was conducted by connecting a fuel line to the airplane's right-side fuel line. The fuel boost pump was operated, and the engine started and ran with no anomalies. A review of the airplane type certificate data sheet indicated that the airplane was equipped with two wing fuel tanks for a total capacity of 65 gallons, with useable fuel of 55 gallons. Given the available information, it is likely the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before approach to prevent power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents2

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