History of Flight
On April 28, 2020, at about 0958 central daylight time, a Cessna T210L airplane, registration N210HH, was substantially damaged during an accident near New Braunfels, Texas. The private pilot reported no injuries, and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported departing from Midland Airpark (MDD) around 0830 with a passenger, en route to New Braunfels Regional Airport (BAZ). He stated that he performed standard preflight checks, including confirming an estimated 70 gallons of fuel based on three factors. He discussed with the airplane owner the fuel quantity from the last flight, with the owner believing the tanks were full. The pilot observed the fuel gauges indicating about 70 gallons and visually inspected both tanks, seeing they were nearly even and close to full. He did not use a stick to verify the fuel level, relying instead on visual inspection from the aircraft's step, noting the ramp was flat.
During the cruise at 7,500 ft msl, the pilot began a descent to remain clear of clouds. After checking weather at BAZ, he contacted the control tower and was advised to file an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan due to conditions. He filed and discussed the approach type with a controller, choosing an area navigation (RNAV) approach for runway 17. He was cleared to a fix on the approach and to climb to 3,000 ft.
During the climb, the pilot noticed decreasing airspeed and abnormal engine power. He performed emergency checklists, including selecting the fullest tank and activating the auxiliary fuel pump, but could not increase power; the engine remained at 2,500 RPM. He descended to visual conditions and evaluated forced landing options. After advising approach control of his decision to land in a field at Canyon Lake, he realized he would not reach the field and chose to land on the lake with the landing gear retracted. He selected a clear spot, killed the engine, flared, and kept the nose up. The passenger reported hitting his head on the yoke during landing. Both occupants exited through the windows and swam to shore.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna T210L features full cantilever wings with integral fuel tanks. The total fuel capacity is 90 gallons, with 89 gallons usable. Fuel quantity is measured by four capacitance-type transmitters and indicated by two gauges on the instrument panel. The airplane's Pilot Safety and Warning Supplements emphasize proper fuel management and the need for level ground during fueling. The owner's manual includes ditching procedures.
According to the airplane owner and airport records, the airplane was last topped off on March 8, 2020, at Llano Municipal Airport (AQO) with 46.8 gallons of 100 low lead fuel. The owner verified the level visually and by gauges. The owner then flew the airplane to MDD (2 hours of flight time) and later flew locally on March 28, 2020, for 1.5 hours. No struts or steps on the side of the fuselage were noted in photographs of the recovered airplane.
Wreckage and Impact Information
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector oversaw recovery of the airplane from the lake. The fuselage skins were wrinkled, but no wing skin anomalies were present around the fuel tanks. Recovered liquid from one fuel tank filled about 2.5 inches of a five-gallon container, and from the other about 3.5 inches. The wings were removed, and the disassembled airplane was taken to a recovery yard. Spark plugs showed no anomalies beyond those from water submersion. About half a gallon of water was recovered from each header tank. The fuel screen was clean, and the fuel manifold contained no liquid under its diaphragm. A rivet head was lodged in the turbocharger impeller, but the impeller blades were undamaged and rotated freely after removal. After drying the magnetos and plumbing a fuel can, the engine was started and ran operationally during a test run.
Personnel Information
The pilot's logbook showed 144.1 hours of total flight time between the accident flight and his flight review on November 5, 2019. Of this, 9.4 hours were in the accident airplane, with the remainder in a Cirrus SR22T.