20181027020969I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna T210L · Coalinga, CA · October 27, 2018

Date: October 27, 2018 · 16:40 local
Place: Coalinga, CA
Airport: Harris Ranch
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N22232
Reported as: Cessna T210L
Reported engine: Continental TSIO-520 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 803 total605 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

N22232Registered now · Cessna T210LS/N 21059730 · Built 1972 Airframe modelCessna T210L Engine modelContinental TSIO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot stated that he departed the short and narrow paved runway with the fuel selector on the left tank, and the engine then suddenly quit at 50 ft AGL. He switched tanks to the right tank, but he was unable to restart the engine due to the low altitude, and landed straight ahead, beyond the end of the paved runway in a plowed, soft dirt farm field. The pilot stated he was able to hold the nose up after touching down on the main landing gear, until the aircraft had slowed, and the nose wheel then settled into the soft dirt, pitching the aircraft nose down. The nose wheel and nose gear fork separated from the nose gear strut, resulting in a prop strike, damage to the nose cowlings, nose gear doors, and the right wing tip plastic fairing. No injuries were reported. The pilot stated that when the aircraft was disassembled by the insurance company personel for ground transport, no fuel was found in the left tank, and adequate fuel was found in the right tank.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DEPARTED THE SHORT AND NARROW PAVED RUNWAY WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR ON THE LEFT TANK, AND THE ENGINE THEN SUDDENLY QUIT AT 50 FT AGL. HE SWITCHED TANKS TO THE RIGHT TANK, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE, AND LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD, BEYOND THE END OF THE PAVED RUNWAY IN A PLOWED, SOFT DIRT FARM FIELD. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS ABLE TO HOLD THE NOSE UP AFTER TOUCHING DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT HAD SLOWED, AND THE NOSE WHEEL THEN SETTLED INTO THE SOFT DIRT, PITCHING THE AIRCRAFT NOSE DOWN. THE NOSE WHEEL AND NOSE GEAR FORK SEPARATED FROM THE NOSE GEAR STRUT, RESULTING IN A PROP STRIKE, DAMAGE TO THE NOSE COWLINGS, NOSE GEAR DOORS, AND THE RIGHT WING TIP PLASTIC FAIRING. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS DISASSEMBLED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY PERSONEL FOR GROUND TRANSPORT, NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK, AND ADEQUATE FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE RIGHT TANK.