# NTSB IAD96LA079: Cessna P210N, N731NC, Carrollton, OH, May 20, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 19, 1996, 20:20 local (May 20, 1996, 00:20 UTC) - Place: Carrollton, OH - Coordinates: 40.570137, -81.090522 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5701&lon=-81.0905&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 3 minor - Status: Completed, report March 31, 1998 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 28052 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD96LA079 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/28052/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD96LA079 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate fuel management. Factors in this accident were the pilot's reliance on a fuel data computer and his untimely reaction to a known fuel quantity discrepancy. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fuel management - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fuel consumption calculations - inaccurate, pilot in command (cause) - fuel system,tank - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis According to the pilot, the airplane had 89 gallons of low lead aviation fuel onboard when he took off. He stated that the flight proceeded as planned, but as he neared his destination he elected to land to refuel at an airport within 50 miles of his destination. Within miles from the airport that he elected to refuel at, the engine lost power. The FAA inspector reported that the pilot and the two passengers stated that the airplane ran out of fuel. The pilot said he suspected a fuel quantity problem when his fuel gauges started bouncing but his fuel computer indicated 12 gallons remaining. The FAA inspector's report stated that there was no indication of fuel in the tanks or on the ground at the accident site. ## Factual narrative On May 19, 1996, at approximately 2020 eastern daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N731NC, lost engine power during the descent to Carroll County-Tolson Airport, in Carrollton, Ohio. During the emergency landing on a soft field, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane flipped over. There were minor injuries to the commercial pilot and two passengers and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane departed Flagler County Airport in Burnnell, Florida at approximately 1603 eastern daylight time and was en route to Portage County Airport, in Ravenna, Ohio, when the pilot requested a divert to the Carroll County-Tolson Airport. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that the airplane had 89 gallons of 100 octane low lead aviation fuel in the tanks and he added two quarts of oil to the engine before he took off from Burnnell, Florida. The pilot stated that the flight proceeded as planned. In the pilot's written report on this accident there was no mention of winds at altitude, the airplanes ground speed, the fuel consumption rate, or figures calculated in order to make a continue or not continue decision as the flight progressed. The pilot stated that he elected to land at another airport which was within fifty miles of his original destination in order to refuel because the "fuel gauges were bouncing but the fuel computer indicated 12 gallons." A few miles from the airport that the pilot elected to go to, the engine lost power. The FAA inspector reported that the pilot and the two passengers stated that the airplane ran out of fuel. The pilot said he suspected a fuel quantity problem citing his airplane's bouncing fuel gauges and his fuel computer indicated 1/2 hour of fuel remaining. The FAA inspector's report stated that there was no indication of fuel in the tanks or on the ground at the accident site. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N731NC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N731NC), registered now, S/N P21000502, built 1980 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna P210N - Registry model: [Cessna P210N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-p210n) (registry code 2073454) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: P210-00502 - Airframe hours: 4032 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520P 310 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Corporate Aircraft Mktg Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 6, 1995, 82 hours before - Departed: X47, BUNNELL, FL - Destination: 29G, PORTAGE COUNTY, OH - Flight plan: IFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 5,000 total, 4,850 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 5 statute miles - Temperature: 70 °F ## 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 19960519010869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960519010869A), May 19, 1996: Cessna P210N, Carrollton, OH, Substantial damage. Low fuel diverted to TSO but engine quit three miles out. Landed muddy field. Nosed over. Fuel tanks empty. (-23) pilot departed flagler co airport (X47) in… 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.