Cessna 210-5(205) N8272Z

Summary

On 24 June 2009 at about 18:45 local time, a Cessna 210-5(205) registered N8272Z was involved in an accident near Porterdale, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2009 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Porterdale, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Covington Municipal Airport (9A1)

Coordinates

33.5678, -83.8728

Aircraft

Cessna 210-5(205)

Registration

N8272Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rocky Mount → Peachtree City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA366

2 people had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's use of improper fuel caps. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s selection of an unsuitable area for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during preflight inspection of his Cessna 205, on the day prior to the accident, he had noticed that the seals on the fuel caps were worn. He replaced them with fuel caps borrowed from a friend’s airplane, a Cessna 182. Following the preflight, he departed for a local airport for fuel and then returned. Upon his return he had noticed "gas streaking on top of the wings," but assumed that the fuel vents had discharged some fuel. On the day of the accident he checked the weather and departed with a passenger for a cross-country flight. While en route, the engine "coughed;" he turned on the fuel boost pump and switched the fuel selector from the right to the left tank, after which the engine restarted. The pilot noted that the fuel gauges were fluctuating in-flight between empty and one-quarter tank. Believing that he had sufficient fuel on board, he made a descent and continued towards his destination. Minutes later the engine quit, the pilot switched the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank, and made a turn for a local airport. Realizing that he would not make it to the airport, the pilot elected to land in a field. The airplane touched down on rough terrain and the nose strut sheared off. The airplane then dug into the ground and flipped over. The propeller, landing gear, wings, fuselage, and empennage incurred damage. The pilot stated that he had replaced the seals in the borrowed caps in order to prevent water from leaking into the fuel, but that the new seals did not fit as tightly and that fuel must have been "sucked" out of the tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.