# NTSB CHI02LA129: Cessna 210M, N357TC, Watertown, MN, May 11, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 10, 2002, 21:00 local (May 11, 2002, 02:00 UTC) - Place: Watertown, MN - Coordinates: 44.960147, -93.839218 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.9601&lon=-93.8392&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report October 24, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration MSP FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54758 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA129 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54758/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54758 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA129 ## Probable cause The improper fuel management by the pilot which resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the soft terrain in which the forced landing was completed. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, descent - normal - fuel management - improper, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - starvation (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Nose over, landing - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing ## Analysis While descending into the intended destination there was a total loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he was unable to restore engine power and performed a forced landing into a soft field. During the landing the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that the airplane was completely fueled prior to the initial flight of the day and he had flown approximately 3.6 hours since the last fueling. The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, "... he [the pilot] forgot to switch the fuel selector to the other tank." Subsequent to the accident approximately 5 gallons of aviation fuel was drained from the right wing fuel tank and there was evidence of a fuel spill around the accident site. ## Factual narrative On May 10, 2002, at 2100 central daylight time, a Cessna 210M, N357TC, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Watertown, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, reported minor injuries. The flight departed Morris Municipal Airport (MOX), Morris, Minnesota, at 1800 and had the intended destination of Flying Cloud Airport (FCM), Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the pilot's written statement, he had flown from FCM to MOX earlier in the day and was returning to FCM at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he did not fly directly back to FCM and had practiced approaches at five airports prior to returning to FCM. The pilot stated, "I was descending to Flying Cloud [Airport] & was at about 2,700 feet when [engine] power failed. I attempted 'engine out' procedures but was unable to restore [engine] power. I attempted to land on a road (or the field beyond) but was unable to reach either one & landed short of the road. The prop & nose gear dug into soft ground & flipped the airplane over & it landed on the road." The pilot reported that the airplane was fueled with 70 gallons prior to the flight to MOX. The pilot reported that the flight from FCM to MOX had taken approximately 1.1 hours. The airplane was not fueled prior to the return flight to FCM. The pilot reported the accident flight was approximately 2.5 hours in length. The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, "... he [the pilot] forgot to switch the fuel selector to the other tank." The pilot also told the FAA inspector that his being indecisive on a landing area contributed to the airplane landing short of the road. Subsequent to the accident approximately 5 gallons of aviation fuel was drained from the right wing fuel tank and there was evidence of a fuel spill around the accident site. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N357TC](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N357TC-2004-08-09), registration cancelled 2004-08-09, S/N 21062456, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 210M - Registry model: [Cessna 210M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210m) (registry code 2073450) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 21062456 - Airframe hours: 6302.4 - Engines: Continental IO 520-L 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Twin City Cloud 7 Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 30, 2002, 45.5 hours before - Departed: MOX, Morris, MN - Destination: FCM, Minneapolis, MN ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review October 14, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 937 total, 86 in this make and model, 734 as pilot in command, 17 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk - Wind: 130° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 9,500 ft broken - Temperature: 54 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.25 inHg - Observed at: FCM, 62 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020510013719A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020510013719A), May 10, 2002: Cessna 210M, Watertown, MN, No damage. (-23) Pilot had been doing practice approaches at litchfield (kjlf) while enroute from morris, MN to flying cloud airport located in eden prairie, MN. Mr.… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54758. 828 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 351 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436530&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Record of Interview (item 2, .PDF, 85 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436531&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Interview-Redacted.PDF - Pilot's Operating Handbook Excerpt (item 3, .PDF, 392 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40167552&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%27s%20Operating%20Handbook%20Excerpt-Master.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.