Cessna T210M N1309M

Summary

On 25 December 2001 at about 02:10 local time, a Cessna T210M registered N1309M was involved in an accident near Santa Rosa, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 December 2001 at 02:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Rosa, California, United States

Nearest airport

Sonoma County (STS)

Coordinates

38.5007, -122.7594

Aircraft

Cessna T210M

Registration

N1309M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lakeport → Petaluma

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

LAX02LA055

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight planning/decision resulting in miscalculation of fuel consumption, fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power. Factors were rough terrain in a vineyard, power lines in the landing area, and night time.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with power lines and landed in a vineyard about 1 mile south of Sonoma County Airport (STS), Santa Rosa, California, during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot noted about 20 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 15 gallons in the right tank during preflight. He flew from Petaluma, California, to Lakeport, California. The pilot was cruising at 5,500 feet on the return to Petaluma and began a descent when he was abeam Santa Rosa. He was well past Santa Rosa when the engine began to run rough; the right fuel gauge indicated 5 to 7 gallons. He switched from the right tank to the left tank, which now indicated 10 to 15 gallons, and the engine ran smoother. He continued toward Petaluma at an altitude of 3,000 feet, but could not visually acquire the airport's rotating beacon. He tried to activate the pilot controlled runway lights, but still could not visually identify the airport. He decided to fly back to Sonoma County Airport. He lost and regained power five times as he headed to Sonoma County Airport. The Air Traffic Control Tower advised him that a vineyard was south of the airport. The pilot could not see the landing area because of the darkness, but headed toward the dark field. He contacted power lines just prior to touchdown, but landed upright in the vineyard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The recovery agent did not observe any fuel in either tank, and no fuel drained out of the fuel lines when they were disconnected during disassembly for transport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.