Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Cessna 210K Centurion, a light, single-engine, high-wing aeroplane with retractable landing gear. It was powered by a Continental IO-520-L six-cylinder piston engine producing 300 hp. The aircraft had two structural fuel tanks in the wings, each with a specified capacity of 45 US gallons (usable 44.5 US gal per tank, 89 US gal total). The aeroplane was not equipped with a low fuel warning light.
Accident Sequence
On Thursday 25 July 2024, the pilot and a passenger departed Aalborg Airport (Denmark) at 13:28 local time for a cross-country flight to Colmar-Houssen aerodrome (France). The aircraft climbed to 4,400 ft and subsequently cruised at an average altitude of 4,100 ft with a ground speed of about 130 kt. At 17:15, the pilot contacted Strasbourg FIS and was informed that military zones R228 were active; he turned west to avoid them. At 17:40:41, the pilot contacted Colmar tower, reporting being a few minutes from Haut-Koenigsbourg chateau. Less than one minute later, he requested landing priority, stating he was "a bit short on oil." The controller instructed a direct approach to runway 19 and suggested maintaining altitude before descending and extending the landing gear at the last moment.
At 17:43:35, engine power decreased, and the aircraft was at about 3,000 ft. The pilot reported the engine was stalling and attempted a long final. The controller suggested identifying a field or road as a precaution. Approximately ten seconds later, the pilot indicated he would perform a forced landing on the right side of his flight path. The last recorded GPS position at 17:45:35 showed the aircraft on final at low height. The landing gear contacted vegetation in a field and then a road (D3) before the intended landing field. The aircraft bounced, overturned onto its back, and came to rest in the field.
Examination Findings
The accident site was approximately 6 km north of Colmar aerodrome at an altitude of about 600 ft. Marks from the landing gear were visible in the field before the road. The wreckage lay inverted in a cornfield, with damage concentrated at the front. Two propeller blades were bent backward, and the third showed no significant deformation, indicating no engine torque was being transmitted during the deformation sequence. No significant fuel odor was reported by first responders; approximately 300 ml of fuel was recovered from the left tank and 600 ml from the right tank.
Engine examination found no evidence of damage related to lubrication or loss of power. The fuel flow meter showed no anomalies. Recovered fuel had physical and chemical characteristics consistent with AVGAS 100LL. The fuel tanks were not damaged, though a non-significant leak (less than 0.1 US gal for the flight duration) was identified in the right tank. Examination determined that the maximum quantity of fuel added to each tank during refueling was 44.25 US gal. When the aircraft is not on a horizontal surface, the usable volume can be reduced by 4 to 5 litres (1 to 1.3 US gal).
Pilot Information
The 60-year-old pilot held a private pilot licence with a single-engine piston class rating and a valid class 2 medical certificate. He had logged approximately 785 flight hours, including about 667 hours as pilot-in-command. In the three months before the accident, he flew about 25 hours as PIC, half of which occurred in the preceding seven days. The pilot stated that the landing gear extension-retraction system had been defective for about seven months; all flights during that period, including the accident flight, were conducted with the gear extended. He had requested repairs in December 2023 and April 2024, but the cause was not identified.
The pilot used a French translation of certain flight manual instructions, including cruise performance data, prepared by a fellow pilot. He was not aware of FAA Airworthiness Directive 94-12-08 concerning refueling difficulties on Cessna 210 aircraft, nor was he familiar with the Preflight Fuel System Quantity Check procedure. He calculated fuel requirements based on an average consumption of 18 US gal/hour as displayed on the engine data monitor. Before departure, the tanks were replenished and checked.
Refueling Considerations
At Aalborg Airport, the refueling area is a 15 m × 15 m square that is not flat; it has a central ridge and two slopes with drains. The steepest measured slope was 2.6°. The pilot refueled the aircraft in this area. FAA AD 94-12-08 addresses potential difficulty in filling Cessna 210 fuel tanks, requiring a preflight fuel system quantity check and noting that tanks may appear full when actually short by 5 to 10 US gallons if the aircraft is not level. The AD recommends raised fuel caps to allow visual verification. In N5767J, the AD was not complied with: no raised fuel caps, no placards on the wings or in the cockpit, and no record of fuel gauge calibration. The aircraft had recessed fuel caps.