Cessna 210 N7321E

Summary

On 30 August 2012 at about 15:48 local time, a Cessna 210 registered N7321E, operated by Ernest P. Jessop, was involved in an accident near Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States. 2 people were 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

30 August 2012 at 15:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.8239, -110.5567

Aircraft

Cessna 210

Registration

N7321E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ernest P. Jessop

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williston → Heber City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA392

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the incorrect installation of the fuel bladder tanks.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that before the accident flight, he verified that both of the airplane’s fuel tanks were full and that he reviewed the pilot operating handbook for the fuel consumption rate for his intended flight. While he was en route, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauges indicated that both the left and right tanks were about 1/4 full. The pilot stated that he diverted to a nearby airport. As the airplane descended, the left fuel tank “gave out,” and the pilot switched the fuel selector to the right fuel tank. However, as the airplane approached the airport, the engine lost power. Despite the pilot’s attempts, the engine would not restart, and the pilot made a forced landing to an open field. Wreckage recovery personnel reported that they removed about 4 ounces of fuel from the right fuel tank and 4 gallons from the left fuel tank. According to the Cessna 210 pilot operating handbook, the airplane’s fuel system contained 3.5 gallons of unusable fuel per tank. Both the left and right fuel caps and seals were intact and undamaged. No additional mechanical anomalies were noted. It is likely that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing fuel bladder tank was mostly disconnected from all of its internal retaining clips, and the left wing fuel bladder tank was disconnected from two of its internal clips. The displacement of the fuel bladder tanks from the retaining clips likely resulted in the pilot observing inaccurate fuel level indications in the tanks and on the fuel gauges during the preflight visual inspection. The maintenance logbooks were not made available for review and thus a maintenance history could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.