Cessna T210L N210RE

Summary

On 20 July 1996 at about 22:10 local time, a Cessna T210L registered N210RE was involved in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 1996 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Santa Fe County Municipal (SAF)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna T210L

Registration

N210RE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA328

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper decision to continue the flight after noting the low fuel quantity indication, which resulted in fuel starvation before reaching the airport. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a cross country flight of 3 hours and 25 minutes, the airplane was on the base leg for landing when the engine lost power. During the ensuing forced landing on a road, the left wing struck a road sign, and the airplane departed the road and collided with a wire fence. About 2 hours and 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot noted that the left fuel quantity indicator was indicating a low fuel quantity. The pilot stated that he discounted the low fuel quantity indication since he had visually confirmed both tanks were full prior to departure, and he elected to continue the flight. The fuel selector was found positioned on the right tank, and 1 quart of fuel was drained from the right tank. The left fuel tank was ruptured; the fuel quantity could not be determined. No evidence of fuel leakage was found on the lower or upper wing surfaces, the aircraft belly, or inside the engine compartment. Six months prior to the accident, the fuel gauges had been calibrated to ensure that they indicated empty when the fuel tanks were empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.