- Date
- March 21, 1986, 11:49 local (18:49 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5256ACessna T210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860321007449A
- Case key
- 25099
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was practicing instrument approaches and reported to the control tower that he had experienced a loss of engine power. During the attempted forced landing, the aircraft struck power lines and crashed inverted in a river bed two miles west of the airport. Investigation revealed that the right wing fuel tank contained no fuel and that the left wing fuel tank was full. The fuel selector was found positioned to the right wing fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5256A
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 210-63330
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-R, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sawyer Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 21, 1986 · 1 hours before
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PHX · Sky Harbor, runway 8R, 11,001 × 150 ft
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 283 total · 24 in this make and model · 207 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 2 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.