Accident Overview
On June 30, 2017, at approximately 1215 mountain daylight time, a Cessna P210N airplane, registration N210HG, conducted a forced landing near Eagle, Colorado. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged during the landing. The airplane was registered to and operated by Tridelaw Aviation, LLC, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported departing Montrose, Colorado (KMTJ) en route to Eagle County Regional Airport (KEGE) with 60 gallons of fuel and 8 quarts of oil. As he approached KEGE, he contacted the tower controller and was directed to enter the downwind leg. While configuring the airplane for landing, the engine lost power. The pilot followed the 'engine failure during flight' checklist and switched fuel tanks, but the engine did not restart. He informed the controller and selected an empty road for the forced landing. During the landing, the left wing impacted a pole; the airplane then exited the road and came to rest upright. The impact tore about a 5-foot section from the wing, and damage was noted on the fuselage and the four-bladed propeller.
Post-Accident Examination
Fire department personnel on scene noted fuel leaking from the airplane and applied a water-based fire retardant to both wing fuel tanks. The responding FAA inspector confirmed fuel leakage from at least one wing tank after recovery. It was also reported that the airplane had been filled with about 30 gallons of fuel on June 21. The airplane was recovered and transported to a salvage facility for examination by the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge and a technical representative from the engine manufacturer.
A fuel can was connected to the left-wing fuel line for a visual engine examination. A slight fuel leak was observed on the fuel metering unit, but no other external abnormalities were noted. The top set of spark plugs were removed, showing normal wear and light grey deposits. Each cylinder was borescoped, and the crankshaft was rotated by hand, with spark observed on each ignition lead.
The airplane was equipped with a fuel flow system and a JPI Engine Data Monitor (EDM) 700. No information could be retrieved from the fuel flow system, but the EDM contained 28 files dated from May 27, 2017, to June 30, 2017. Review of the data revealed flights on June 19, June 20, and a one-hour flight on June 30, which corresponded to the accident flight. Plotting the June 30 flight data showed a slight rise in exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) just before the end of data, followed by a decrease; the temperature change was uniform across all six cylinders.
Engine Run and Fuel System Findings
Before an engine run, two propeller blades were shortened to provide symmetry and balance due to damage. Prior to starting the engine, the fuel strainer was opened and liquid consistent with water was drained from the fuel line. The engine was started and run to 2,500 rpm; a magneto check showed no abnormalities. During the run, fuel continued to leak from the fuel metering unit. After the run, the unit was disassembled, and the internal O-rings appeared flattened or degraded. It was not determined whether the O-ring leakage resulted from impact during the accident, degradation due to the fire retardant, drying out, or natural degradation over time. The fuel metering inlet screen was removed and was absent of any debris or contamination.
A reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.