CESSNA 210-5A near Wenatchee, WA — 2013-05-18

Final reportWPR13LA247

Date: 2013-05-18
Location: Wenatchee, WA, USA
Airport: EAT
Aircraft: CESSNA 210-5A
Registration: N4848U
Category: Airplane
Highest injury: None
Fatalities: 0
Phase of flight: Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and his improper landing flare, which resulted in the airplane’s tail striking the runway.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was on the base leg of the traffic pattern when the engine suddenly lost power. The airplane landed hard in a nose-high attitude, and the tail cone struck the runway, resulting in damage to the aft bulkhead and lower fuselage stringer. When a line service technician came with a tug to help get the airplane off the runway, the pilot told him that he had run out of fuel and that he had planned to continue past the airport but made an error in his fuel calculations. The pilot purchased additional fuel and continued to his destination with no further incident. Although the pilot stated that "vapor lock or a fuel system defect were potential causes" for the loss of engine power, his statements to the line service technician and the fact that the engine started and operated normally after fuel was added indicate that the reason for the loss of engine power was fuel exhaustion.