ATL96LA081

During a long descent to a straight-in landing approach, the engine quit. Appropriate emergency procedures were applied by the pilot without successfully restarting the engine. The pilot's flight planning indicated that fuel remained in the tanks, which was discovered during the wreckage examination. He also stated that he believed the engine starved of fuel because of unporting fuel from the tank pickup tube during the slipped descent, referencing a Cessna safety supplement on the subject. During the post accident examination of the engine, no fuel was found in the gascolator.

On April 26, 1996, about 2154 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210, N9432T, collided with the ground during a forced landing at Knoxville, Tennessee. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. There were no injuries to the pilot nor the two passengers, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Origination of the flight was Altoona, Pennsylvania, at 1830, on the same evening.

According to air traffic control personnel, the airplane was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan until about 12 miles northeast of the Downtown Island Airport, Knoxville. At that time the pilot canceled the instrument flight plan. Subsequently, he reported a loss of engine power while on final approach to the airport. The airplane crashed in a field about 400 yards east of the airport.

The pilot stated that he believed the engine quit when fuel was unported from the tank outlet because of the nose down, slipped flight attitude he used to reach the runway. An examination of the engine did not reveal any malfunction that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. The FAA inspector who examined the airplane reported in a telephone conversation on May 1, 1996, that no fuel was found in the gascolator. A telephone conversation on the same day with Cessna personnel revealed that with approximately six gallons of useable fuel in each wing, as occurred during this flight's landing approach, it was possible to starve the engine of fuel.