20021120032789A

(.19) On November 20, 2002, about 1610 mountain standard time, a Cessna T210L, N59132, made a precautionary off airport landing near Williams, Arizona, after experiencing smoke in the cockpit. The airplane was subsequently destroyed in a collision sequence with ground obstructions and a post crash fire. Sierra aviation LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The airline transport pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The positioning flight departed prescott (prc), Arizona, about 1550 en route to st. george, Utah. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated that he flew the airplane from deer valley airport (dvt) phoenix, Arizona, to prescott and dropped off a passenger. That flight lasted about 30 minutes and he reported the flight was uneventful. The pilot stated he was positioning the airplane back to boise, Idaho, and planned to stop at st. george for fuel. About 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot had leveled the airplane at a cruising altitude of 9,500 feet, closed the cowl flaps, and switched to the right fuel tank. After about 5 minutes in cruise, he smelled smoke and about 10 seconds later, observed visible smoke along the floor and the passenger observed smoke curling up behind the front seats. The pilot said he was familiar with burning electrical smells and this was not electrical. He was familiar with the sounds of the hydraulic power pack continuing to run because it occasionally had not shutoff and had been replaced about 6 months prior to the accident. He did not hear the power pack continue to run this time. He turned the electrical master switch off and opened the side window. Even with the window open the smoke increased. The passenger went into the back seat and held both doors open with his feet. The pilot had initiated a turn toward several clearings at the first detection of the smoke, reduced the throttle almost to idle, and set the flap switch to the 20-degree position. As he approached the first clearing he decided to bypass it and go for the second clearing. He added throttle, but the engine did not respond and he did not get a manifold pressure increase. He turned the master switch on and the fuel boost pump switch to the high position. The manifold pressure increased to 22 inches, and the flaps went to the 20-degree position. He tried the electrical gear switch, but the gear did not operate. After he attained the desired glide speed and gained the altitude to insure making the clearing, he turned the master switch off. The pilot did not hear the gear doors open, and tried to pump the gear down using the manual gear extension system. He had previous experience operating the manual system on the ground. He pumped the handle rapidly four times and did not feel a pressure increase like he had felt before. The red knob on the tip of the handle came off in his hand. He pumped three more times and did not feel an increase in pressure, so he stowed the handle and committed to the landing. The smoke level had been steadily rising and continued to do so as he pumped, but he was not sure if the level increased due to his pumping the handle. Due to terrain considerations, angle of the sun, and wind conditions, the pilot executed a 180-degree turn and landed to the east. The airplane experienced a rapid deceleration, slid about 120 feet, and nosed over. While the airplane was inverted, the pilot saw flames. He released his seat belt, fell to the ceiling, and exited to the left. He noted that both entry doors separated during the ground collision sequence. The passenger in the rear seat experienced some difficulty in releasing the seat belt, but eventually exited the airplane through the right side. The pilot noted that the plastic tips on the shoe laces on his right shoe melted. (-23) approx 15 minutes after departing prc, the aircraft was level at 9500 MSL. The pilot leaned the mixture for that altitude. Both occupants started to smell smoke in the cabin and the pilot shut off the aircraft master switch. The pilot started a descent and throttled the engine power to 15 in/hg. The smoke was now obstructing forward visibility. When the pilot needed engine power and pushed the throttle forward the engine did not produce power. The pilot then turned on the master switch and the fuel boost pump to restart the engine. Engine power resumed but noticed that action added to the smoke. The pilot attempted to extend the landing gear both via the gear handle and by manual pumping. The pilot noted that during hand pumping there was not resistance. They landed gear up on an uphill slope and flipped onto its top. After exiting, the a/c caught fire.