History of Flight
On April 24, 2017, about 1345 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T-210N, N6218Y, was substantially damaged when it touched down short of runway 26 at Banning Municipal Airport (BNG), Banning, California, following an engine power loss. The private pilot received minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
According to the BNG airport attendant, he heard the pilot announce on the common traffic advisory frequency that he had experienced a "massive power failure" and was "coming in hot for runway 26" via a right traffic pattern. The attendant observed the airplane on a right downwind leg and thought it was positioned for a normal landing. The attendant then radioed an advisory about a departing helicopter but received no response. He watched the airplane descend on final approach; the approach appeared normal until he saw a large cloud of dust. He drove to the airplane, where the pilot emerged with facial injuries. The attendant offered to take the pilot to the hospital; en route, the pilot asked to be dropped at a rental car facility. After obtaining a rental car, the pilot followed the attendant back to BNG, where police officers stopped them. The pilot was allowed to retrieve personal items from the airplane but was later detained by law enforcement for reasons unrelated to the accident.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1981 Cessna T-210N equipped with a Continental Motors TSIO-520 series engine. According to the FAA inspector, the hour meter indicated about 2,635 total hours. No maintenance records were obtained. The fuel system included two wing tanks (total usable capacity 89 gallons), two reservoir tanks, a fuel selector valve with LEFT, OFF, and RIGHT settings, an electric auxiliary fuel pump, fuel strainer, engine-driven fuel pump, fuel/air control unit, and fuel manifold valve.
Pilot Information
FAA records showed the pilot obtained his private certificate in July 2011 and a first-class medical in September 2015. He purchased the airplane in March 2017 and also owned a Mooney M20 series. A partially completed logbook recovered from the airplane indicated the pilot had about 1,458 hours total flight experience, with about 185 hours in the Cessna. The last entries were on the accident day: a flight from Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) to Deming Municipal Airport (DMN) of 4.3 hours, then a departure from DMN with no destination recorded.
Meteorological Information
Winds from the west at 17 mph gusting to 28 mph, sky clear, temperature 15°C, dew point 9°C.
Wreckage and Impact
Ground scars indicated the airplane touched down about 180 feet short of the paved beginning of runway 26. It came to rest a few feet beyond the pavement after penetrating a wire fence. The nose gear collapsed, and the tailcone, right wing, right horizontal stabilizer, and right elevator sustained damage. The FAA inspector found the left fuel tank empty, the right tank between one-eighth and one-quarter full, and the fuel selector valve in the OFF position. A subsequent examination about a month later revealed no fuel in the fuel strainer or line to the fuel manifold valve. The left tank yielded no fuel; after placing the selector to LEFT and operating the auxiliary pump, about 12 ounces of fuel were collected. The right tank was drained, yielding about 27 gallons. The fuel manifold valve contained fuel and was functional. The engine rotated easily, spark plugs appeared normal, and magneto sparks were observed. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.
Additional Information
The airplane was fueled with 74.9 gallons at Deming Municipal Airport around 1000 local time on the day of the accident. The investigation was unable to determine when or by whom the fuel selector valve was placed in the OFF position, or the exact sequence of the power loss. The pilot provided unclear reports and was unavailable for follow-up.