Accident Overview
On March 28, 2009, at about 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210L, registration N2445S, struck terrain during a forced landing approximately one mile north of Madera Municipal Airport, Madera, California. The private pilot and his passenger sustained serious injuries; the airplane, owned by the passenger, sustained substantial damage. The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 for personal pleasure, departing Harris Ranch Airport, Coalinga, California, about 40 minutes earlier. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, upon entering the Madera traffic pattern, he intended to make a full-stop landing but changed to a touch-and-go after the passenger expressed interest in landing for currency. During the initial climb following the touch-and-go, the engine began to sputter, and approximately five seconds later it lost all power at about 500 feet above ground level. The pilot verified the magneto switch was in the BOTH position but did not attempt a restart, focusing instead on a power-off forced landing. He turned toward an open area, left the landing gear fully retracted, and concentrated on the touchdown. After landing, the airplane slid across a road and entered a grape orchard supported by closely spaced posts.
Post-Accident Observations
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector arrived about two hours after the accident and found no fuel in either wing. The fuel caps were tight, and no evidence of in-flight or on-ground fuel leakage was observed. During occupant rescue, local fire department personnel used a hydraulic cutter to sever the fuel line running down the right forward door post. Because the airplane came to rest with the right wing higher than the left, this action could have drained any remaining usable fuel. However, the on-scene commander, who witnessed the cut, confirmed that no fuel drained from the line.
An FAA-monitored post-accident inspection of the engine and airframe revealed no malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded the engine from producing rated horsepower or allowed fuel leakage.
Pilot's Fuel Management
The pilot reported that earlier that day, before departing Madera for Harris Ranch, he used a fuel tank dipping tube to measure both tanks, estimating each about half full (approximately 22 gallons each), providing a little over two hours of flying time based on his flight planning fuel flows. The total block time for the round trip to Harris Ranch and back was as much as one hour and twenty minutes. The dip tube was not designed or calibrated for the Cessna 210, and the pilot did not dip the tanks before the return flight. Upon entering the Madera pattern, he switched to the left tank without checking its fuel level, a standard practice due to the owner having previously experienced a momentary fuel flow interruption from the right tank at altitude.
Investigation Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation did not identify a specific mechanical failure. The absence of fuel in the wings and the lack of leakage evidence pointed to fuel exhaustion as a likely cause, though the pilot's fuel measurement method may have been inaccurate.