Fuel exhaustion Accident Cessna 210 N7321E,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 287434
 
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Date:Thursday 30 August 2012
Time:08:48 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic C210 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 210
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N7321E
MSN: 57021
Year of manufacture:1959
Engine model:Continental IO-470 SERIES
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Kemmerer, Wyoming -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Williston, ND
Destination airport:Heber City, UT
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot reported that before the accident flight, he verified that both of the airplane's fuel tanks were full and that he reviewed the pilot operating handbook for the fuel consumption rate for his intended flight. While he was en route, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauges indicated that both the left and right tanks were about 1/4 full. The pilot stated that he diverted to a nearby airport. As the airplane descended, the left fuel tank 'gave out,” and the pilot switched the fuel selector to the right fuel tank. However, as the airplane approached the airport, the engine lost power. Despite the pilot's attempts, the engine would not restart, and the pilot made a forced landing to an open field.

Wreckage recovery personnel reported that they removed about 4 ounces of fuel from the right fuel tank and 4 gallons from the left fuel tank. According to the Cessna 210 pilot operating handbook, the airplane's fuel system contained 3.5 gallons of unusable fuel per tank. Both the left and right fuel caps and seals were intact and undamaged. No additional mechanical anomalies were noted. It is likely that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing fuel bladder tank was mostly disconnected from all of its internal retaining clips, and the left wing fuel bladder tank was disconnected from two of its internal clips. The displacement of the fuel bladder tanks from the retaining clips likely resulted in the pilot observing inaccurate fuel level indications in the tanks and on the fuel gauges during the preflight visual inspection. The maintenance logbooks were not made available for review and thus a maintenance history could not be determined.

Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the incorrect installation of the fuel bladder tanks.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR12LA392
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 2 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB WPR12LA392

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
04-Oct-2022 10:52 ASN Update Bot Added

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