What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Instrument competency check from CFI. Engine blew up. Landed dirt road. Nosed over 915 hrs since tbo. (-23) on April 5, 1998, pilot bryan robert sanderson, certificate number 463416518, was flying his Cessna 210, N591DC, with instructor forest gene dawson, certificate number 1984210, on an instrument proficiency/currency flight. They flew from Santa Teresa, doan ana county airport (5T6) on a round robin flight to deming (dmn) new Mexico, to silver city, grant co. (svc), and back to Santa Teresa. About 15 miles out from Santa Teresa pilot sanderson called in for an airport advisory. At about 5 miles out he called again for traffic. Right after that the engine started vibrating and smoking. Mr. Sanderson called Santa Teresa and declared an emergency. He had been descending and gradually pulling the power off. When the engine quit he had been at 20 inches and 2300 RPM. Mr. Sanderson trimmed for an emergency landing. He called their location in to Santa Teresa Airport. He was at about 5900' and selected a road to land on that was adjacent to the railroad. Both pilots tightened their seat belts and shoulder harnesses. They saw a powerline in front of them and made a judgment that they could not clear it. They put the gear down and the flaps out and went under the powerline. The dirt road had high banks on both sides. As they rolled out the left wing caught on the railroad tie fence posts that lined the railroad. This pulled the plane to the left after hitting about 5 posts. The nose gear caught and the plane flipped over. Mr. Sanderson exited his window and went around and helpedmr. Dawson get his belt off and exit the window. Neither pilot lost consciousness. People from the airport arrived in about five minutes. There was sitll about 60 gallons of fuel in the tanks, but there was no fire. Both pilots spent several days in the hospital with head injuries. There was substantial damage to the aircraft. Airworthiness inspector terry w. martin, from the albuquerque flight standards district office, looked at the plane on April 8, 1998. It was determined that there was a hole in the engine case and that the number 5 cylinder had thrown a connecting rod.
As the FAA filed it
INSTRUMENT COMPETENCY CHECK FROM CFI. ENGINE BLEW UP. LANDED DIRT ROAD. NOSED OVER 915 HRS SINCE TBO. (-23) ON APRIL 5, 1998, PILOT BRYAN ROBERT SANDERSON, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 463416518, WAS FLYING HIS CESSNA 210, N591DC, WITH INSTRUCTOR FOREST GENE DAWSON, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 1984210, ON AN INSTRUMENT PROFICIENCY/CURRENCY FLIGHT. THEY FLEW FROM SANTA TERESA, DOAN ANA COUNTY AIRPORT (5T6) ON A ROUND ROBIN FLIGHT TO DEMING (DMN) NEW MEXICO, TO SILVER CITY, GRANT CO. (SVC), AND BACK TO SANTA TERESA. ABOUT 15 MILES OUT FROM SANTA TERESA PILOT SANDERSON CALLED IN FOR AN AIRPORT ADVISORY. AT ABOUT 5 MILES OUT HE CALLED AGAIN FOR TRAFFIC. RIGHT AFTER THAT THE ENGINE STARTED VIBRATING AND SMOKING. MR. SANDERSON CALLED SANTA TERESA AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. HE HAD BEEN DESCENDING AND GRADUALLY PULLING THE POWER OFF. WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT HE HAD BEEN AT 20 INCHES AND 2300 RPM. MR. SANDERSON TRIMMED FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. HE CALLED THEIR LOCATION IN TO SANTA TERESA AIRPORT. HE WAS AT ABOUT 5900' AND SELECTED A ROAD TO LAND ON THAT WAS ADJACENT TO THE RAILROAD. BOTH PILOTS TIGHTENED THEIR SEAT BELTS AND SHOULDER HARNESSES. THEY SAW A POWERLINE IN FRONT OF THEM AND MADE A JUDGMENT THAT THEY COULD NOT CLEAR IT. THEY PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND THE FLAPS OUT AND WENT UNDER THE POWERLINE. THE DIRT ROAD HAD HIGH BANKS ON BOTH SIDES. AS THEY ROLLED OUT THE LEFT WING CAUGHT ON THE RAILROAD TIE FENCE POSTS THAT LINED THE RAILROAD. THIS PULLED THE PLANE TO THE LEFT AFTER HITTING ABOUT 5 POSTS. THE NOSE GEAR CAUGHT AND THE PLANE FLIPPED OVER. MR. SANDERSON EXITED HIS WINDOW AND WENT AROUND AND HELPEDMR. DAWSON GET HIS BELT OFF AND EXIT THE WINDOW. NEITHER PILOT LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. PEOPLE FROM THE AIRPORT ARRIVED IN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. THERE WAS SITLL ABOUT 60 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE TANKS, BUT THERE WAS NO FIRE. BOTH PILOTS SPENT SEVERAL DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL WITH HEAD INJURIES. THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR TERRY W. MARTIN, FROM THE ALBUQUERQUE FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, LOOKED AT THE PLANE ON APRIL 8, 1998. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE ENGINE CASE AND THAT THE NUMBER 5 CYLINDER HAD THROWN A CONNECTING ROD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.