- Date
- January 26, 1991, 15:36 local (23:36 UTC)
- Place
- Sacramento, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N210TWCessna T210M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910126001019A
- Case key
- 26973
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the ensuing emergency landing.
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 returning to his home airport from a four hour round-robin flight with on landing and takeoff en route. The fuel tanks were full at the first takeoff and no fuel had been added. The aircraft's fuel quantity at the time of the accident was calculated to be 25 gallons. The pilot reported he had lost the engine approximately 1/2 mile from the runway. A witness observed the aircraft's nose raise and the aircraft enter into a steep descending right turn before it collided with the ground. A post-crash engine operational test did not disclose any evidence of a failure or malfunction would have resulted in an engine failure. The aircraft's right wing tank was ruptured during the impact sequence. The left tank was leaking and only 5 gallons of fuel was recovered. The position of the fuel selector handle in the cockpit pointed toward the right fuel tank. The fuel selector valve was found positioned between the off and left tank position when removed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N210TW
- Reported as
- Cessna T210M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21061858
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-R, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Truax, Thomas N.
- Registered owner
- Truax, Thomas N.
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- ONT · Ontario, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SAC · Sacramento Exec, runway 3, 3,334 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 841 total · 541 in this make and model · 734 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- SAC, 5 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.