- Date
- December 27, 1992, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Smithville, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7479ECessna 210
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921227051769A
- Case key
- 8716
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 failure of the pilot to follow pilot manual procedures by slipping the aircraft with inadequate fuel available, which resulted in fuel starvation. Factors were the inadequate fuel supply on the aircraft and the failure of the pilot to refuel.
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 private pilot landed at an airport 45 miles short of his destination to refuel. No fuel was available, so he elected to continue to his destination. He estimated 12 gallons of fuel on board at the time. Enroute to the airport, he ran the right tank dry, and switched to the left tank. He decided to fly a no flap landing due to low fuel. He was high and fast on final, so he slipped the aircraft, left wing low. He could not land safely, so he executed a go around, and the engine did not respond. He attempted a turn back to the airport for a forced landing. While in the turn, the aircraft struck a fence, then collided with the ground. The Cessna 210 pilot's manual states that prolonged sideslips can result in unporting of the fuel system, and fuel starvation. There can be up to 10 gallons of unusable fuel in the system when level flight is not maintained. The engine power loss occurred about 35 minutes into the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7479E
- Reported as
- Cessna 210
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 57179
- Airframe hours
- 1,271
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-E, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Love, Carl C.
- Registered owner
- Love, Dorothy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 1992 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- TZV · Tompkinsville, KY
- Airport
- 0A3 · Smithville Muni, runway 24, 4,100 × 75 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 719 total · 314 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BNA, 43 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.