- Date
- December 10, 1991, 18:08 local (Dec 11, 1991, 02:08 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N761VBCessna 210M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911210055349A
- Case key
- 27517
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
An engine power loss due to a partial blockage of the fuel selector valve with debris.
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 certificated airline transport pilot was beginning a positioning flight as the first leg of an air taxi flight. About 4 seconds after departure and at about 150 feet above the ground, the engine suddenly lost power. An emergency landing was made in a marsh area, about 3/4 miles from the departure end of the runway. After recovery, the engine was placed on a test stand and was started. The engine ran at idle and 2100 RPM. Low fuel flow was noticed from the fuel strainer. Disassembly of the fuel selector revealed small portions of rubber, partially blocking the left fuel tank position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N761VB
- Reported as
- Cessna 210M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 62543
- Airframe hours
- 2,663
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-L-3A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Centurion Flight Service
- Registered owner
- Saul Chaiken
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1991 · 75 hours before
- Destination
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 55
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,764 total · 289 in this make and model · 6,545 as pilot in command · 111 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO, 1 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.