History of Flight
On January 1, 2020, about 1546 central standard time, a Cessna T210L airplane, registration N94227, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Ada, Oklahoma. The pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that the fuel tanks were topped off at Centennial Airport (APA), Denver, Colorado, with 90 gallons of fuel. During takeoff and initial climb, the right fuel tank was selected, and the fuel burn was 16.5 gallons per hour. After climbing to 11,500 ft mean sea level, the fuel burn decreased to 14.5 gallons per hour, and the pilot switched to the left tank. After 1.75 hours on the left tank, the pilot switched to the right tank for about 1.25 hours.
According to ATC summary and ADS-B data, at 1539, while cruising at about 11,500 ft, the pilot reported a fuel issue to ATC and requested an immediate landing. About one minute later, while receiving directions to Ada Regional Airport (ADH), the pilot stated that he restarted the engine and continued descending toward ADH. The pilot reported that when the engine lost power, he selected the left fuel tank, and the engine restarted briefly before losing power again. He was unable to restart it again and proceeded toward ADH. The controller mistakenly reported the ADH identifier as ADA several times.
At 1543, the pilot reported instrument issues and received a no-gyro vector approach. At 1545, the pilot stated that the airport was in sight. As he descended, he extended the landing gear and flaps. At 1546, radar contact was lost, and the pilot transmitted, “I’m not sure I can make this runway, I’m trying.” No further transmissions were received. The airplane cleared one set of powerlines, maneuvered under a second set, and made a forced landing.
Personnel Information
The pilot completed a 1.4-hour flight review in the accident airplane on October 24, 2019, and then flew the airplane 1 hour back home. Prior to that, his last flight in the airplane was on February 13, 2016.
Aircraft Information
The pilot operating handbook listed a total fuel capacity of 90 gallons, with 1 gallon unusable (45 gallons per tank, 0.5 gallon unusable per tank).
Wreckage and Impact Information
Postaccident photographs showed the airplane had landed in a field, continued through a fence, and impacted a line of trees. It came to rest upright with the nose tilted up and the right wing low. Examination revealed both fuel tanks were breached at the leading edges. Fuel caps were secured, and no blue fuel staining was observed on the wings. No fuel was observed in the right fuel tank, though the wing was on a decline. The fuel selector had been turned off after the accident. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Additional Information
Review of historical ADS-B data from FlightAware.com showed that on December 24, 2019, the pilot completed a multi-leg cross-country flight from Lakefront Airport (NEW), New Orleans, Louisiana, to Cox Field Airport (PRX), Paris, Texas (2.5 hours), then to Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport (LBL), Liberal, Kansas (2.0 hours), and finally to APA (1.75 hours). Fuel receipts indicated 52.8 gallons added at LBL and 46 gallons at APA. The amount of fuel added to each tank and the total in each tank after fueling could not be determined.
The pilot stated that the airplane was on level ground when fueled at APA. He did not observe the fueling process but trusted the employee. The pilot did not complete a preflight fuel burn calculation for any of the flights and did not check the fuel receipt or compare it to fuel calculations. He did not open the fuel caps between fueling and the accident flight to confirm fuel quantity but did confirm the caps were tight. He did not rely on the fuel gauges because they were always “bouncing around” and had previously shown empty when tanks were full.
A postaccident fuel calculation based on fuel receipts suggested the airplane would have contained about 69 gallons before departure from APA (about 34 gallons per tank). The fuel burn for the accident flight was calculated at 43 gallons, leaving about 26 gallons at the time of power loss.