Cessna P210N N833RT

Summary

On 2 January 2021 at about 21:30 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N833RT, operated by Nash LLC, was involved in an accident near Moab, Utah, United States. 4 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

2 January 2021 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Moab, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Canyonlands Fld (CNY)

Coordinates

38.7575, -109.7535

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N833RT

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Nash LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moab → Salina

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA078

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper application of full throttle during takeoff, which resulted in loss of engine power due to an excessive fuel flow and overly rich fuel mixture.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was departing on the first flight of the day in cold weather conditions after the airplane had spent several hours inside a hangar to melt ice from the airframe and warm the engine. About 100-200 ft above ground level (agl) shortly after takeoff, the engine began to run rough and lost partial power. He retracted the landing gear, and the engine subsequently lost additional power. The pilot decided to land on the remaining runway and extended the landing gear. The airplane landed on the left side of the runway before veering right and exiting into the snow-covered runway safety area. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on the right wingtip and right horizontal stabilizer. The front passenger reported to the pilot that the fuel flow gauge read about 42 gallons of fuel per hour (gph) during the takeoff. Recovered engine data indicated that fuel flow values exceeded 47 gph before the second loss of engine power. During an engine test run, the engine hesitated when the throttle was advanced, and the manifold pressure indicated 34.2 inHg, fuel flow 44 gph, at 2,720 rpm. After the engine reached a normal operating temperature, the engine ran normally. No component adjustments were made to the engine during the test run. According to the engine operating handbook, during the first flight of the day, the manifold pressure will normally exceed 31 inHg and fuel flows will exceed 37 gph if the throttle is opened fully. The handbook advised that manifold pressure be monitored and that the throttle be set to provide 31 inches of manifold pressure. It is likely that, during takeoff, the pilot fully advanced the throttle, which resulted in a high manifold pressure and high fuel flow, an excessively rich fuel/air mixture, and a subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.