Cessna T210M N761YN

Summary

On 3 September 2012 at about 01:54 local time, a Cessna T210M registered N761YN, operated by Byrd Kenneth M, was involved in an accident near Tillatoba, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 September 2012 at 01:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Tillatoba, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

34.0081, -89.8658

Aircraft

Cessna T210M

Registration

N761YN

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Byrd Kenneth M

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Suffolk → Olive Branch

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA12LA543

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's improper fuel management and his decision to continue flight in deteriorating weather conditions with low fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

When the pilot planned the long cross-country flight, he told flight service personnel that he expected to have to deviate due to thunderstorms. The pilot further stated that he would stop short of the destination airport if he could not safely navigate around thunderstorm cells. About 5 hours into the flight, the pilot notified an air traffic controller that he was going to deviate to a nearby alternate airport, which was in clear weather conditions. As a result, flight-following services were terminated when the airplane was about 10 miles from the alternate airport. According to global positioning system (GPS) data and a witness on the ground, the airplane flew safely over the alternate airport and circled; however, rather than land, the airplane continued to fly toward the original planned destination. About 10 minutes later, GPS data showed that the airplane reversed its course toward the alternate airport. The airplane’s engine subsequently lost total engine power and the airplane collided with trees during the ensuing forced landing. The pilot reported that he was unable to recall the accident sequence because of accident-related injuries. Postaccident examination of the engine, which included a successful test-run, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. At the time of the accident, the airplane had flown 5 hours 28 minutes without refueling. According to the pilot’s operating handbook for the accident airplane, the airplane's endurance at 70% power was about 5 hours 10 minutes, not accounting for fuel used during engine start, taxi, takeoff, or climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.