CHI93LA217

The pilot reported a loss of engine power to ATC and commented he thought he had run out of fuel. The pilot made a forced landing on a bean field and the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. Investigation discovered that the right fuel tanks were empty of useable fuel, and that the left fuel tanks held approximately 10 gallons. The pilot reported that prior to the loss of engine power he had been using the right fuel tanks. The airplane's engine was tested after the accident by using a substitute fuel system and selecting the left fuel tank position. The engine started and ran without any observed mechanical anomalies.

On June 20, 1993, about 1137 central daylight time, a Cessna P210 airplane, N4813P, sustained substantial damage following a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing on a field near Pulaski, Illinois. The solo private pilot was not injured. The flight operated in visual meteorological conditions under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed Saratoga Springs, New York, at 0610. The pilot had filed an instrument flight plan and was operating under instrument flight rules.

According to the pilot's statement, while 45 miles from his destination, he was cleared by Springfield Air Traffic Control (ATC) to descend. At this time, he changed the selected fuel tank from the right to the left. After a few minutes the engine sputtered, so he changed the selected tank back to the right. The pilot then noticed that the fuel gauge for the right tank read zero. He turned on the emergency fuel pump but then lost all engine power. The pilot states, "... I put the emergency fuel pump on and told Springfield [ATC] that I inquired about landing in Lincoln, but it was 10 miles away and while I was having this conversation the airplane ran out of fuel with the fuel flow indicator registering zero."

Postaccident examination of the airplane discovered approximately 2.5 gallons of fuel in the left tip tank, and 6.5 gallons in the left main tank. A mechanic who helped transport the airplane prior to the above examination, estimates that an additional 2 gallons of fuel was removed from the left main tank before the airplane was moved. The mechanic also reported that the right tanks appeared empty. No useable fuel was found in the right tanks during the postaccident examination.

The accident airplane's engine was successfully started and ran on June 24, 1993, by an FAA inspector. A substitute left fuel tank was used. The fuel selector was positioned to the left tank, and the engine was operated for approximately one minute with no observed mechanical anomalies.