- Date
- April 15, 1990, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, GA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N761YKCessna T210
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900415009179A
- Case key
- 8230
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly manage his fuel supply, which resulted in a loss of engine power, due to fuel starvation.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight was reported as routine until the pilot was cleared to a lower altitude. Shortly afterwards, the pilot informed the approach controller of an engine problem. He was given radar vectors to the nearest airport. As the pilot turned from base to final, he lowered the landing gear. A high sink rate developed and the flight crashed short of the runway. The pilot reported that he typically ran one fuel tank dry before switching tanks. In this case, the engine lost power and he selected the other tank, but the engine would not respond when he attempted a restart. The engine was fuel injected. Reportedly, loss of prime may have resulted in difficulty in restarting. The pilot was aware of fuel in the left tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N761YK
- Reported as
- Cessna T210
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21062623
- Airframe hours
- 1,762
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-R, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael B. Frisby
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 1990
- Departed
- PIE · St Petersburg, FL
- Destination
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 9A5 · Lafayette Muni, runway 20, 4,780 × 50 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,069 total · 119 in this make and model · 897 as pilot in command · 111 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHA, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N761YK · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.