Cessna T210L N212DW

Summary

On 18 May 2006 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna T210L registered N212DW was involved in an accident near Chico, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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

18 May 2006 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Chico, California, United States

Nearest airport

Chico Municipal Airport (KCIC)

Coordinates

39.8033, -121.8644

Aircraft

Cessna T210L

Registration

N212DW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chico → Watsonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA178

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and failure to verify the amount of fuel onboard.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power in the takeoff initial climb. The pilot flew into the airport the previous evening. He ordered fuel from the FBO. He said that when he arrived at the airport for the return flight home, he did not preflight the fuel tanks to check their quantity. He did a run-up before takeoff, and noted that everything was normal. He departed runway 13L, and noted a lower than optimum fuel flow. About 250 feet above ground level (agl), the engine lost power. He notified the tower, and turned back toward the airport. He set up a glide at 97 miles per hour (mph). When it became apparent that he could not make it to either runway, he chose to set the airplane down on a broken asphalt tarmac between the runways. He lowered the flaps, but did not lower the landing gear. The pilot said the descent was steep, and he flared too soon. The airplane stalled about 30 feet agl, and it hit the ground hard. The airplane skidded about 200 feet before coming to a stop. The pilot reported that the loss of power was due to fuel exhaustion. He also noted that the power off glide angle was uncomfortably steep; it was difficult to judge the proper point to flare. He recommended that these characteristics be emphasized in emergency training.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.