ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 59038
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| Date: | Saturday 28 March 2009 |
| Time: | 13:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna T210L Centurion |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2445S |
| MSN: | 21061286 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4230 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-520 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Madera, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Coalinga, CA (3O8) |
| Madera, CA (KMAE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While entering the traffic pattern at his home base after a return flight, the pilot switched to the airplane's left tank. As he continued in the pattern he asked his passenger if he would like to make a landing for currency also. When the passenger said yes, the pilot changed his planned full-stop landing to a touch-and-go. During the initial climb after the touch-and-go, the engine lost all power and the pilot executed a forced landing into a grape orchard where the vegetation was supported by closely spaced posts. The investigation confirmed that both fuel tanks were empty at the time of the forced landing. It was further determined that the fuel tank dip tube that the pilot used to determine fuel levels prior to a flight earlier that day was not specifically designed for, or calibrated to, this specific airplane model. The investigation also determined that the pilot did not check the fuel quantity of the left tank when he switched to it upon entering the pattern, and that he switched to that tank only because after a previous momentary fuel flow interruption from the right tank, the owner had made switching to the left tank in the pattern a standard procedure for this airplane regardless of the fuel quantities in each tank.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power during the initial climb due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to properly monitor the airplane's fuel quantity and to correctly ascertain the fuel on board the airplane prior to takeoff.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Mar-2009 05:31 | slowkid | Added |
| 30-Mar-2009 07:04 | slowkid | Updated |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 01-Dec-2017 12:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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