CEN20LA053

The pilot and one passenger were conducting a cross-country flight in the single engine airplane. The pilot thought that the fuel tanks had been topped off on a level surface before departure, but he did not observe the fueling and did not confirm the actual fuel quantity before departure. About 3.5 hours after departure, after having switched from the left fuel tank to the right, the pilot reported that the engine experienced a loss of power and told air traffic control (ATC) that he had a fuel issue and needed to land immediately. The pilot was able to restart the engine briefly but again experienced a loss of engine power. He made a forced landing to a field then continued into a fence and impacted several trees and the airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, empennage, and engine mounts. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that both fuel tanks were breached at the leading edges. The fuel tank caps were secured in place and there was no sign of blue fuel staining on the wings. The examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident fuel calculation based on fuel receipts for the round-trip cross-country flight revealed that the airplane would have contained about 69 gallons of fuel before departure. Based on the fuel calculation, there should have been about 26 gallons of fuel remaining in the fuel tanks during the loss of engine power. The pilot stated that he did not complete a preflight fuel burn calculation or check the amount of fuel on the fuel receipt after fueling. It is likely that the pilot did not switch to the right fuel tank when he reported doing so or did not allow enough time for the fuel to reach the engine before attempting an engine restart. Based on postaccident fuel calculations and the lack of evidence of a fuel tank leak, the pilot did not adequately manage the available fuel during the flight, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A review of the historical ADS-B data from FlightAware.com showed that, on December 24, 2019, the pilot had completed a multi-leg cross-country flight from Lakefront Airport (NEW), New Orleans, Louisiana, to Cox Field Airport (PRX), Paris, Texas, for a total of 2.5 hours en route. He then flew to Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport (LBL), Liberal, Kansas, for 2.0 hours en route, and finally to APA for 1.75 hours en route. Fuel receipts showed that he added 52.8 gallons of fuel at LBL and 46 gallons of fuel at APA. However, the investigation could not determine the amount of fuel added to each tank nor the total amount of fuel in each tank after the fueling. The pilot stated that the airplane was on level ground when it was fueled at APA. When asked if he observed the fueling process he stated, “I was not on the ladder with [the airport employee who fueled the airplane] … he claimed he topped it off I had no reason to doubt him.” The pilot stated that he did not complete a preflight fuel burn calculation for any of the flights. He did not check the amount of fuel on the fuel receipt or compare it to any fuel calculations because he would have only done so while completing a fuel plan. The pilot did not open the fuel caps between fueling and the accident flight to confirm the amount of fuel in each tank, but he did confirm that the fuel caps were tight. He did not trust or rely on the fuel gauges in the airplane because they were always “bouncing around” and never showed the right amount. He discussed one time in the recent past when he had topped off the fuel tanks and one of the gauges showed empty. A postaccident fuel calculation based on the fuel receipts for the round-trip cross-country flight revealed that the airplane would have contained about 69 gallons of fuel before departure from APA. If the airplane departed on the accident flight with 69 gallons, the amount in each tank would have been about 34 gallons. The fuel burn calculation for the accident flight revealed that the airplane likely burned 43 gallons of fuel before the loss of engine power. The fuel calculation revealed that there should have been about 26 gallons of fuel remaining during the loss of engine power. The airplane's pilot operating handbook listed that the airplane holds 90 gallons of fuel, 1 gallon of which is unusable (45 gallons in each tank, 0.5 gallon of which is unusable). On January 1, 2020, about 1546 central standard time, a Cessna T210L airplane, N94227, was substantially damaged with it was involved in an accident near Ada, Oklahoma. The pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he had the fuel tanks topped off at Centennial Airport (APA), Denver, Colorado, and departed with 90 gallons of fuel. He had the right fuel tank selected during takeoff and initial climb and noted a fuel burn of 16.5 gallons per hourduring the climb. After climbing to 11,500 ft mean sea level, he noted a fuel burn of 14.5 gallons per hour and switched to the left tank. After using the left tank for 1.75 hours, he switched to the right tank for about 1.25 hours. According to an ATC summary and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data, at 1539, the airplane was in cruise flight about 11,500 ft mean sea level when the pilot reported a fuel issue to ATC and requested to land immediately. About 1 minute later, while receiving directions to Ada Regional Airport (ADH), Ada, Oklahoma, the pilot stated that he restarted the engine and continued to descend toward ADH. According to the pilot, when the engine experienced a loss of power, he selected the left fuel tank and the engine successfully restarted for a short time. The engine again experienced a loss of power, and he was unable to restart it, so he proceeded to ADH. The controller mistakenly reported the ADH airport identifier as ADA several times when queried by the pilot. At 1543, the pilot stated that he was having issues with his instruments and then received a no-gyro vector approach from ATC. At 1545, the pilot stated that he had the airport in sight. According to the pilot, as he descended and approached ADH, he extended the landing gear and flaps. At 1546, radar contact was lost, and the pilot stated, “I’m not sure I can make this runway, I’m trying.” There were no further transmissions from the pilot. The airplane cleared one set of powerlines then the pilot maneuvered under a second set of powerlines and made a forced landing. The pilot completed a 1.4-hour flight review in the accident airplane on October 24, 2019, then flew the airplane 1 hour back home. Before these flights, the last time he had flown the airplane was on February 13, 2016. Pictures of the accident site showed that the airplane had landed in a field, continued through a fence and impacted a line of trees. The airplane came to rest upright with the nose tilted up and the right wing low (figure 1). Postaccident examination revealed that the fuel tanks were both breached at the leading edges. The fuel tank caps were secured in place and there was no sign of blue fuel staining on the wings. The inspector did not observe any fuel in the right fuel tank, although the wing was on a decline. The fuel selector had been turned off after the accident. Figure 1 – Airplane Wreckage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine examine revealed no preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.