On April 10, 1996, a Cessna T310Q (registration N7713Q) was involved in an aviation accident near Minneapolis, MN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the inadequate fuel supply for the intended flight which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors related to the accident were the pilot operating the airplane with an inoperative fuel gauge and the embankment which the airplane traveled down during the forced… This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported low fuel to ATC, then complete fuel loss eight minutes later, landing on a road with gear not fully extended. The aircraft slid off the road and contacted a sign, spilling 10-15 gallons of fuel.
Incident Overview
The pilot contacted ATC to report that he was low on fuel while still 16 miles from his destination airport. Eight minutes after this initial report, the pilot informed ATC that he had experienced a complete fuel loss and would have to land immediately. The subsequent landing was performed on a road, but the landing gear was not fully extended during the touchdown.
After contacting the road surface, the airplane slid off the roadway and down an embankment, where it struck a sign. The impact resulted in rupture of the fuel tanks, leading to an estimated spillage of 10 to 15 gallons of fuel at the accident site.
Post-Accident Inspection
A post-accident inspection revealed no signs of previous fuel leakage from the tanks or lines. However, the right fuel tank gauge was found to be inoperative at the time of the accident.