Cessna T210M N1929M

Summary

On 14 December 1996 at about 18:58 local time, a Cessna T210M registered N1929M was involved in an accident near Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. 6 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 December 1996 at 18:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.0901, -78.5599

Aircraft

Cessna T210M

Registration

N1929M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Leesburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC97LA029

3 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's miscalculation of fuel consumption and his inadequate in-flight decision making, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route at 11,500 feet msl, the pilot encountered 'severe' headwinds and decided to divert to Charlottesville to refuel. About 2 to 3 minutes into his descent for Charlottesville, the engine lost power. The pilot switched from the left to right fuel tank and power was restored; however, later at 4,500 feet msl, a second power loss occurred. Unable to glide to the airport, the pilot executed a forced landing to a cow pasture, about 1 mile short the airport. FAA examination of the airplane revealed both fuel tanks were empty. The pilot reported the accident could have been prevented by 'proper fuel calculating along with a fuel computer installed, because of the frequency-distances-complexity of the average mission.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.