Accident Overview
On March 4, 2020, about 2030 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210L airplane, registration N123CE, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Needles, California. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight History
According to the pilot, he flew the accident airplane from Henderson, Nevada, to St. George, Utah, where a passenger deplaned. He departed St. George in the late afternoon, intending to return to Henderson before nightfall, as he had not flown in nighttime conditions in nearly one year. The pilot had not configured his navigation equipment, assuming he would return before dark. After takeoff, he observed that his fuel level was insufficient for the trip. He stated that he landed in Mesquite, Nevada, for fuel; however, a fuel receipt and ADS-B data showed that he obtained 77 gallons of fuel at Parker, Arizona.
Shortly after departure at 1653 into night conditions, the pilot decided to fly south to avoid breaching Las Vegas Class B airspace. Mesquite is about 30 nm northwest of Las Vegas Class B airspace, while Parker is about 100 nm southeast. The pilot stated that he spent most of the approximate 4-hour flight attempting to configure his GPS. Once the airplane reached a town near the Mexican border, he turned north.
ADS-B data indicated that after departure, the airplane slowly climbed to about 8,300 ft msl on a southern heading. About 40 minutes into the flight, it made an abrupt right turn and descended rapidly to about 700 ft msl while overflying a small town. The airplane then turned south and started a normal climb, made a series of left turns, and crossed the Mexican border twice before establishing a southwest heading at about 11,000 ft msl. At 1824, it flew back into Mexico and made more turns at various westerly headings, descending to about 6,500 ft msl. The airplane turned north and crossed back into the United States about 1908.
The airplane circled El Centro, California, for about 20 minutes at various altitudes before climbing to about 10,000 ft msl and establishing a straight northeastern heading. At 2053 mst, it descended to about 6,000 ft msl, then climbed again and made a series of large S-turn maneuvers.
Engine Power Loss and Forced Landing
According to the pilot, as the airplane neared Needles, California, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The fuel selector was on the left fuel tank, which indicated 100 lbs (16 gallons) of fuel remaining on the fuel gauge. He rotated the selector to the right tank, which indicated 150 lbs (25 gallons), activated the high fuel boost pump setting, and within about 15 seconds the engine restarted. The engine subsequently lost all power about 15 minutes later.
At 2123 mst, at an altitude of about 8,900 ft msl, the airplane turned to a northeastern heading and about two minutes later turned east and began a descent. The ADS-B track terminated at 2129 mst/2029 pst, showing the airplane on an easterly heading at 3,625 ft msl, two nm west of the accident site.
During the pilot’s subsequent forced landing attempt, the nose landing gear dug into dirt and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot stated that he was under a self-induced pressure to return home at the time of the accident and should have departed the following day in daylight conditions.
Additional Details
The pilot did not file a flight plan for the accident flight, nor was he in contact with air traffic control. Photographs from the accident site showed substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. A BLM ranger, who responded 16 hours after the accident, reported that he did not smell fuel near the aircraft. He did not activate the airplane’s power source to observe the reported fuel tank quantities, nor did he observe the actual fuel tank quantities. Recovery personnel attempted to drain the fuel tanks when they arrived on-scene about five days after the accident but did not observe any fuel.
Wreckage and Fuel Examination
Review of the aircraft logbooks showed that a mechanic had replaced a cracked fuel return hose between the engine and firewall about six flight hours prior to the accident.
A wreckage examination was performed by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Mechanical continuity of the crankshaft and valvetrain to the accessory section was confirmed when the propeller was rotated by hand. Thumb compression and suction were achieved for each cylinder, and each top spark plug exhibited a blue spark while the propeller was rotated. The spark plug electrodes all displayed normal wear.
The fuel selector valve indicated that the left tank was selected. According to the FAA inspector, all fuel lines were secure, and the fuel tanks were intact. Additionally, he did not observe any hydraulic fracturing of the wings or fuel staining anywhere on the airplane to indicate a breach or a fuel leak. No pre-impact anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of engine power were noted.
Fuel Consumption Computation
The airplane’s fuel consumption was computed using the Pilot Operating Handbook and inflight information from ADS-B data. Performance was calculated with a starting fuel quantity of 90 gallons (the full fuel capacity) and an enroute power setting of 2,500 rpm, both values provided by the pilot. He also stated his body weight was 150 lbs. Based on this information, the airplane’s weight was 3,000 lbs at departure, which was 800 lbs under its gross takeoff weight. The performance computations showed that the airplane would have burned about 40 gallons of fuel during the accident flight. According to the pilot, his fuel management practice is to switch fuel tanks once the selected tank is half empty.