Cessna T210N N6988N

Summary

On 15 April 2018 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna T210N registered N6988N was involved in an accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one 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

15 April 2018 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

City of Colorado Springs Muni. (KCOS)

Coordinates

38.8106, -104.7097

Aircraft

Cessna T210N

Registration

N6988N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longmont → Colorado Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA142

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot reported that, as the flight neared the destination airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot switched from the left fuel tank to the right tank and turned the auxiliary boost pump on, which restored engine power momentarily. Shortly thereafter, the engine again experienced a total loss of power and the pilot performed a forced landing. Postaccident examination revealed no useable fuel in the left tank, an estimated 20 to 25 gallons in the right tank, and no evidence of fuel contamination.  Examination and test run of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although the turbocharger manifold exhibited a crack around its circumference, the crack would not have appreciably degraded engine performance at the altitude at which the airplane was flying when the loss of power occurred. Given the lack of fuel in the left wing tank and the fact that the engine operated without anomalies during postaccident testing, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation due to the pilot's mismanagement of the available fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.