# NTSB CEN10LA512: Cessna 210, N210PR, Houma, LA, August 31, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 30, 2010, 20:00 local (Aug 31, 2010, 01:00 UTC) - Place: Houma, LA - Coordinates: 29.630701, -90.680358 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6307&lon=-90.6804&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 11, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Teledyne Continental Motors, FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 77175 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN10LA512 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/77175/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77175 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10LA512 ## Probable cause The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Unknown: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120); cases with it: [Cessna 210, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md?model=2073402), [All aircraft, 1,074 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md) ## Analysis During the first leg of a cross-country flight, the pilot refueled the airplane with about 55 gallons. The flight then proceeded to the destination airport and experienced a total loss of power about 3 hours later. The pilot elected to conduct a forced landing to a cane field, during which the airplane impacted the ground hard and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot reported that the airplane normally burned about 17 gallons an hour and that he expected to land at the destination airport with about 32 gallons remaining. A visual inspection of the airplane and accident site did not identify any signs of a fuel spill. A postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel tanks and system revealed only trace amounts of fuel. Additionally, the examination of the engine and airframe revealed no apparent leaks or abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. ## Factual narrative On August 30, 2010, about 2000 central daylight time, a single-engine Cessna 210 airplane, N210PR, was substantially damaged when it lost engine power and the pilot elected to perform a forced landing, just short of the Houma-Terrebonne Airport (HUM) Houma, Louisiana. The commercial rated pilot received only minor injuries and the passenger was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Black Star Aviation LLC, Houma, Louisiana. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that originated from the San Angelo Regional Airport/Mathis Field (SJT) San Angelo, Texas, at 1659 CDT. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The planned flight was to originate from Cavern City Air Terminal (CNM), Carlsbad, New Mexico, with a stop at SJT before proceeding to HUM. The pilot and passenger departed CNM about 1500 CDT for the approximately hour-and-half flight to SJT. A fuel receipt at SJT indicated that after arrival the airplane was filled with 55.6 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. After refueling, they departed SJT at 1659 CDT for the 519-nautical mile flight to HUM. The pilot reported that, “we did smell a light [fuel] vapor at 12,000 feet, but all systems were normal …. Fuel [quantity] seemed to be exactly where it should have been.” The pilot added, that when they about 15-20 miles out from HUM, he quit checking his fuel gauges and concentrated on the descent and landing. When the airplane was on its base to final leg of the approach, the engine lost power; the pilot reported that the fuel gauges read empty, and he was only able to restore engine power “for a second.” The pilot then elected to conduct a forced landing in a sugar cane field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted terrain and then nosed-over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot added that the airplane normally burned 17 gallons per hour, and that he was expecting to have about 32 gallons after landing in Houma. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector and a technical representative from Teledyne Continental Motors inspected the wreckage on 30 and 31 August, 2010. The airplane had sustained damage to the right wing and spar, the nose-gear/engine area, and the vertical stabilizer/rudder were bent approximately 45-degrees. A visual inspection of the airplane and accident site, failed to identify any signs of a fuel spill. The airplane was recovered to a nearby hangar. Further examination of the airplane’s fuel tanks and system found only trace amounts of fuel. Additionally, the examination of the engine and airframe revealed no apparent leaks or abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N210PR](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N210PR), registered now, S/N 64883 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 210 - Registry model: [Cessna 210](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210) (registry code 2073402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 64883 - Airframe hours: 2300 - Engines: CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Black Star Aviation LLC - Registered owner: Black Star Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 5, 2010 - Departed: SJT, San Angelo, TX - Destination: HUM, Houma, LA - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: HUM, Houma-Terrebonne Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 23; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 1,000 total, 173 in this make and model, 800 as pilot in command, 150 in the last 90 days, 117 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 60° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Observed at: HUM ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100830042069A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100830042069A), Aug 30, 2010: Cessna T210N, Houma, LA, Substantial damage. Pilot requested full load of fuel at FBO. FBO delivered 55.6 gallons of fuel to airplane and told pilot that the aircraft had been topped off. The pilot did… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 19, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77175. 3.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 418 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341412&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Pilot statement (item 2, .PDF, 3.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341413&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20statement-Redacted.PDF - Passenger Statement (item 3, .PDF, 125 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341414&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Passenger%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 4, .PDF, 145 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341416&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.