Cessna P210N N600WL

Summary

On 30 October 1997 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N600WL was involved in an accident near Smoketown, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

30 October 1997 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Smoketown, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.0404, -76.2002

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N600WL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Islip → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD98LA009

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot in command's (CFI) improper management of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion of the selected tank and the subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The owner reported that the certificated flight instructor (CFI) was the pilot in command. The CFI, flying from the right front seat, stated that he was given an en route descent to 3,000 feet. Lowering the manifold pressure by 2 inches about every 2 minutes so as not to shock cool the engine, the CFI noticed the manifold pressure drop from 18 inches to 10 inches, and the engine did not respond to his inputs. The fuel selector valve was on the left tank and the fuel indicator displayed 1/4 tank. The CFI gave control of the airplane to the owner at about 2,500 feet MSL. The owner, estimated their altitude to be about 1,500 feet above ground level, focused on locating a suitable field for landing. The forced landing to a freshly plowed field resulted in the airplane flipping over during roll out. The fuel selector switch was found in the left tank position. No fuel was drained from the left tank and 11 gallons were drained from the right tank. No mechanical problems were found with the airframe or engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.