Accident Overview
According to the instructor pilot, the dual student was a private pilot with single-engine, multiengine, and instrument ratings. The flight was intended as a standard checkout in the Cessna 210 airplane. After nearly an hour of airwork, including three full-stop landings at another airport, the airplane was in the home traffic pattern when the engine ceased operation.
Sequence of Events
The student pilot did not react to the engine failure, and approximately 300 feet of altitude were lost before the instructor took control. At that point, the altitude and distance to the runway were critical, but the instructor managed to reach the airport. However, the airplane impacted the ground in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude.
Damage and Findings
The nose wheel collapsed rearward and became embedded within the bottom of the fuselage. The fuel selector valve was found turned to the left fuel tank, which was empty. The right fuel tank contained approximately 20 gallons of fuel. During the impact sequence, a Beech 19 (registration N6553R) that was tied down and unoccupied was struck by the accident airplane.