# NTSB DEN01LA102: Cessna T207A, N6427H, Kanab, UT, May 27, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 27, 2001, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Kanab, UT - Coordinates: 37.270763, -112.229713 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2708&lon=-112.2297&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA-- Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 52353 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN01LA102 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52353/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN01LA102 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption planning, and the subsequent fuel starvation, which resulted in a loss of engine power. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - in-flight planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot departed for the cross-country flight with 10 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 17 gallons of fuel in the right tank. He leveled off and reduced to cruise power. He said he was "preparing to make switch from left to right tank....just before I could make the switch, the engine lost power." He attempted to switch tanks and restart the engine, but could not get a restart. He performed a forced landing to a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane rotated 180 degrees. The engine was torn from the mount, both wing spars were bent, and the empennage sustained substantial damage. A salvage team member noted, during the airplanes recovery, that there were approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel in the left tank; he said the right fuel tank was empty. ## Factual narrative On May 27, 2001, at approximately 1400 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T207A, N6427H, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during cruise near Kanab, Utah. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Lake Mead Air, of Boulder City, Nevada, was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that originated from Marble Canyon, Arizona, approximately 30 minutes before the accident. A company VFR flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot's written report, he departed Marble Canyon Airport with 10 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 17 gallons of fuel in the right tank. He leveled off at 8500 feet msl and reduced to cruise power. He said he was "preparing to switch from the left to the right tank....just before I could make the switch, the engine lost power." He immediately switched tanks, pushed the mixture full forward, and turned the boost pump on to restart the engine. He tried again, but the engine did not restart. He aimed for a narrow dirt road and extended the flaps. During the ground roll, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane turned 180 degrees skidding to a halt. The engine was torn from the motor mount, the nose gear was severed, both wing spars were bent, and the empennage was wrinkled and bent. A salvage team member noted, during the airplane's recovery, that there were approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel in the left tank; he said the right fuel tank was empty. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6427H](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6427H-2002-05-15), registration cancelled 2002-05-15, S/N 20700522, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna T207A - Registry model: [Cessna T207A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t207a) (registry code 2073614) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 20700522 - Airframe hours: 7485 - Engines: Continental TSI0520M 310 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Operator: Lake Mead Air, Inc. - Registered owner: Riffey CO., LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, August 24, 2000, 27 hours before - Departed: L41, Marble Canyon, AZ - Destination: KNB, Kanab, UT - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 28; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review February 24, 2001; seat: front; flight hours: 940 total, 34 in this make and model, 881 as pilot in command, 117 in the last 90 days, 41 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 210° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.77 inHg - Observed at: PGA, 42 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 20010527010519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010527010519A), May 27, 2001: Cessna T207A, Kanab, UT, Substantial damage. (-23)The pilot was changing fuel tanks and the engine quit in the process. The pilot was unable to start the engine. He landed on a dirt road 10 miles east of… 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.