CEN10LA489

The pilot departed with full fuel tanks on a long cross-country flight. As the pilot approached his destination airport, he initiated a rapid descent by reducing the throttle to idle and lowering the nose of the airplane. At some point, the engine stopped producing power, but the pilot didn't realize this until he was on approach to the airport because the propeller was windmilling and he was wearing a noise-cancelling headset. The pilot was unable to restart the engine or maintain altitude. As the airplane glided toward the airport, the pilot realized that the gear warning horn had not activated when he pulled the throttle to idle and had to quickly extend the landing gear manually. The pilot was unable to fully extend the gear and landed short of the runway in a pasture. The nosewheel struck a hole and separated from the airframe and the left main gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The airplane came to rest upright with the left wing tip on the ground. The propeller, left wing tip, and the leading edge of the left wing were also damaged; however, the four wing fuel tanks were not breached. The right outboard fuel tank was found empty, the right inboard fuel tank was 3/4 full, the left inboard tank was full, and the left outboard tank was 3/4 full. The fuel selector was found set to the right outboard tank position. The pilot stated that the fuel selector was set to the left inboard tank (which he estimated had 15 minutes of fuel remaining) when the engine quit and he had switched to a full tank to try and restart the engine. He said that even though the outboard fuel tanks looked empty after the accident he still had about 1.5 hours of fuel remaining and that he did not run any of the tanks out of fuel. A postaccident examination of the fuel system, ignition, and throttle assemblies revealed no mechanical deficiencies.

On August 19, 2010, approximately 1500 central daylight time, N189M, a Meyers Industries Incorporated 200C, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to Propwash Airport (16X), near Justin, Texas. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private company based in Traverse City, Michigan. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Front Range Airport (FTG), Denver, Colorado, about 1200. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that after departing Colorado with full fuel (80 gallons total/74 gallons usable) he climbed to an altitude of 11,500 feet to avoid operating in higher than normal air temperatures as he approached Texas. He maintained this altitude for as long as possible and then made a rapid descent to avoid entering Class B airspace as he approached his destination airport by pulling the throttle to idle and lowering the nose of the airplane. The engine subsequently stopped producing power and the pilot said he didn't recognize the power loss until he entered the traffic pattern because the propeller was windmilling and he was wearing noise-canceling headsets. The pilot said he was unable to re-start the engine or maintain altitude. As the airplane continued to glide toward the runway, he realized the gear warning horn had not activated when he pulled the throttle to idle and had to quickly extend the landing gear manually. The pilot did not have enough time to fully extend the gear and landed short of the runway in a pasture. According to the pilot, approximately 1-2 flights prior to the accident, the throttle would not go to full idle and he had to use the mixture control to shut off the engine. Plus, the landing gear warning horn was inoperative. A mechanic based in Texas troubleshot the problem and found that the throttle control and attached gear warning switch actuator assembly were worn, which caused it to get caught up on the actuator. He replaced the new assembly three days before the accident and performed an engine run-up. The engine ran normally at all RPM speeds. The pilot then flew the airplane to Colorado and said there were no problems during the flight. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who performed a post-accident examination of the airplane, stated that the fuselage sustained substantial damage when the nose gear separated and the left main gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest upright and the left wing tip was resting on the ground. The propeller, the left wing tip, and the leading edge of the left wing were also damaged; however, the four fuel tanks were not breached. The inspector, who examined the wreckage several hours after the accident, visually inspected the fuel tanks and found the right outboard fuel tank was empty, the right inboard fuel tank was 3/4 full, the left inboard tank was full, and the left outboard tank was 3/4 full.The fuel selector was found set to the right outboard tank position. However, in a written statement, the pilot stated the fuel selector was set to the left inboard tank (which he estimated had 15 minutes of fuel remaining) when the engine quit and he had "switched to the full tank" to restart the engine. He said that even though the outboard fuel tanks "looked empty" after the accident he still had about 1.5 hours of fuel remaining and that he did not run any of the tanks out of fuel. Examination of the fuel system, ignition, and throttle assemblies revealed no mechanical deficiencies. Weather at Alliance Airport (AFW), Fort Worth, Texas, about 6 miles south of the accident, at 1453, was reported as calm winds, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 6,500 feet, light rain, temperature 37 degrees C, dewpoint 21 degrees C, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.85 inches of Hg.