- Date
- May 10, 1992, 20:35 local (May 11, 1992, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- West Mifflin, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1411PCessna 210M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920511014009A
- Case key
- 11783
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 inadequate preflight preparation. Contributing to the accident was the unreliable fuel quantity gauges.
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
While on an extended base leg the airplane's engine lost total power. The airplane crashed just short of the approach end of runway 31. The on scene investigation revealed the airplane's fuel tanks were empty. The 2 day cross country was planned from West Mifflin, PA, to hatteras, NC, returning to West Mifflin on the following day. The pilot stated the total flying time for this cross country just prior to the engine quitting, was 6.25 hours. The pilot stated he thought he had 90 gallons of fuel on board before he started the cross country. The pilot stated the airplane's gauges also showed the airplane's tanks were full prior to the departure from West Mifflin. The pilot stated that the analog fuel quantity gauge indicated, just prior to the engine quitting, the left fuel tank had a few gallons left in it and the right fuel tank contained approximately 10-12 gallons. Cessna performance charts show that fuel consumption could have ranged from 12.5 to 16.1 gallons of fuel per hour.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1411P
- Reported as
- Cessna 210M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21062080
- Airframe hours
- 4,200
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-L-3A, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Phoenix Aviation
- Registered owner
- Starship Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- 8W5 · Hatteras, NC
- Destination
- AGC · West Mifflin, PA
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 747 total · 7 in this make and model · 614 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AGC, 1 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.