# Accident 19961219039749A: Cessna 210N, Kerrville, TX, December 19, 1996 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 19, 1996, 14:45 local time - Place: Kerrville, TX - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 30.1598° N, 99.3501° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.1598&lon=-99.3501&mi=10 - Aircraft: N6555Y, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6555Y) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 210N (registry code 2073453, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210n) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 210N - Reported engine: CONT IO520L - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 350 total, 28 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA066) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961219039749A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4)ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 3,500 FEET. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE SWITCHED TANKS AND ACTIVATED THE FUEL BOOST PUMP TO NO AVAIL. HE INTENDED TO LAND ON A ROAD, BUT DUE TO OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE ROAD, HE EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING TO AN ADJACENT OPEN FIELD. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES WEST OF THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE 'A VERY ROCKY FIELD,' THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE LEFT WING IMPACTED A TREE, AND BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE TORN FROM THE AIRFRAME. THE PILOT STATED THAT BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE FROM ROCKSPRINGS, TEXAS, THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TOTALIZER WAS INDICATING 18.8 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE FUEL GAGES WERE READING 1/4 IN THE LEFT TANK AND BETWEEN 1/8 AND 1/4 IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE PILOT CALCULATED THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO AIRPORTS WAS 56.6 NAUTICAL MILES, AND HE INTENDED TO USE HIS LORAN TO FLY DIRECT. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY AND ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL REMAINED IN THE LEFT FUEL TANK. THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WAS FOUND IN THE RIGHT TANK POSITION. (-23) ON DECEMBER 19, 1996, AT 1445 CST A CESSNA 210, N6555Y OWNED AND OPERATED BY MR. JOHN B. EBNER, A PRIVATE PILOT, MADE AN EMERGENCY OFF AIRPORT LANDING 10 MILES WEST OF THE KERRVILLE TEXAS AIRPORT, DUE TO LOSS OF POWER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ON BOARD. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT FOR WHICH NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE EDWARDS COUNTY AIRPORT, ROCKSPRINGS, TEXAS AT APPROXIMATELY 1415. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 3,500 FEET. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE SWITCHED TANKS AND ACTIVATED THE FUEL BOOST PUMP WITH NO RESULTS. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE FROM ROCKSPRINGS, TEXAS THE FUEL TOTALIZER WAS INDICATED 18.9 GALLONS. INVESTIGATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL IN EITHER WING TANK. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW97LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA066), Dec 19, 1996: Cessna 210N (N6555Y), Kerrville, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a… ## Other reports on N6555Y (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19910526017379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910526017379A), May 26, 1991: Cessna 210N (N6555Y), Fernandina Beac, FL, Substantial damage. Right main gear fell into a hole while taxiing to park. Hole was a drain hole covered with rotten wood grate. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.