Cessna P210 N6300W

Summary

On 7 August 2020 at about 14:36 local time, a Cessna P210 registered N6300W, operated by N206DJ, LLC, was involved in an accident near Allendale, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 2020 at 14:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Allendale, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Allendale County (AQX)

Coordinates

32.9864, -81.2667

Aircraft

Cessna P210

Registration

N6300W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

N206DJ, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gainesville → Allendale

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA278

2 people were seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power as a result of fuel starvation due to contamination from a thermoplastic polymer used in the fuel system. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to report debris observed in the fuel system during previous preflight inspections to maintenance personnel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot fueled the airplane prior to departure and sumped the fuel tanks. He noted debris in the right fuel tank sample but continued to sump the tank until the fuel did not contain any debris. The flight was unremarkable, but on final approach to the runway, the engine lost total power, and the pilot was unable to restart it. He performed a forced landing to a field, and the airplane struck trees before it impacted the ground. A postimpact fire ensued and the airplane was destroyed. Examination of the engine revealed that the throttle body fuel inlet screen was blocked by debris. The pilot reported that he had noted debris in the fuel sumped from the right wing on previous occasions. The mechanic who performed the most recent maintenance on the engine noted that the pilot never mentioned the debris in the right fuel tank until after the accident. The debris was examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory and was found to be a strong match for polyethylene terephthalate, which is commonly found in fuel system components. The fueling records from the fixed based operator were examined, no anomalies were noted, and no other fueling issues were noted with other aircraft that fueled from the same equipment/tanks. Therefore, it is likely that the debris came from the fuel system inside the airplane. The component origin of the debris from within the fuel system could not be determined. The engine and fuel system were last overhauled about 8 flight hours before the accident flight, which included installing an overhauled throttle control/throttle body. It’s likely that the debris in the fuel system built up over the 8 hours since overhaul and blocked the fuel inlet screen, which led to a total loss of engine power. The pilot’s failure to report debris in the fuel system during previous preflight inspections to maintenance personnel prevented an opportunity to discover the debris in the fuel system prior to the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.