- Date
- October 23, 2017, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Eagle, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5129CCessna T210N
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Case key
- 96251
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 fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Following a 1.5-hour local flight, the pilot was returning to his home airfield. Due to inbound traffic to the airport, the pilot circled once to the west and descended for the runway. About 8 miles from the runway, he lowered the landing gear and set 10° flaps. While on the base leg, the engine did not respond to the throttle inputs. The pilot switched fuel tanks, turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, and increased the mixture. Engine power was not restored, and the pilot notified the tower that the airplane had a total loss of engine power. Traffic was too heavy on a nearby road, so the pilot performed a forced landing to a vacant field. The airplane touched down, and the pilot applied brakes. The airplane traveled for about 90 ft, hit a ditch, and nosed over. The pilot reported that he thought that he had about 45 gallons of fuel before takeoff, but he told the Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had miscalculated his fuel. Only residue fuel was found during recovery of the airplane. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
Following a 1.5-hour local flight, the pilot was returning to his home airfield. Due to inbound traffic to the airport, the pilot circled once to the west and descended for the runway. About 8 miles from the runway, he lowered the landing gear and set 10° flaps. While on the base leg, the engine did not respond to the throttle inputs. The pilot switched tanks, turned on the auxiliary fuel pump and increased the mixture. Engine power was not restored, and the pilot notified the tower that the airplane had a total loss of engine power. Traffic was too heavy on a nearby road, so the pilot performed a forced landing to a vacant field. The airplane touched down and the pilot applied brakes. The aircraft traveled for about 90 ft, hit a ditch, and nosed over. The pilot thought that he had about 45 gallons of fuel prior to take off, but he told the Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had miscalculated his fuel. Only residue fuel was found during recovery of the airplane. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5129C
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063707
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 4,941
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 24, 2017
- Departed
- EGE · Eagle, CO
- Destination
- EGE · Eagle, CO
- Airport
- EGE · Eagle County Rgnl
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Onboard weather, Stall warning system
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 15, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 2,355 total · 646 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.48 inHg
- Observed at
- KEGE, 2 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 29, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
Other investigations on N5129C · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.