Pilot Debrief

CESSNA P210N near Eagle, CO — 2017-06-30

Final reportCEN17LA247
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Date
2017-06-30
Location
Eagle, CO, USA
Airport
EGE
Aircraft
CESSNA P210N
Registration
N210HG
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined because an examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a cross-country flight and as he entered the traffic pattern at his destination airport the engine lost power. The pilot completed the "engine failure during flight" checklist, but the engine did not restart. He then selected a nearby road for the forced landing. After the accident, fire department and recovery personnel reported fuel was leaking from the airplane. It was also reported that the airplane had been filled with about 30 gallons of fuel, nine days before the accident flight. After recovery of the airplane, a test engine run was conducted. The engine was started and run to power. The examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any discrepancies that would account for a loss of engine power. A review of the data from the airplane's engine data monitor (EDM) revealed several flights, including the accident flight. The EDM did not record any flights between the time the airplane was fueled and the accident flight. A plot of the accident flight data, revealed at the end of the flight, a slight increase and subsequent decrease in exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs), which was uniform across all six engine cylinders; typical of fuel being cutoff to the engine. The position of the fuel selector during the approach to the airfield could not be verified; fuel was available in the airplane fuel tanks.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to ensure adequate fuel for the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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