# NTSB LAX97LA299: Cessna 210E, N1808F, Oxnard, CA, August 22, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 22, 1997, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: Oxnard, CA - Coordinates: 34.189582, -119.169494 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.1896&lon=-119.1695&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 29, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 29882 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX97LA299 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/29882/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA299 ## Probable cause The failure of maintenance personnel to properly secure a fuel supply line during a 100-hour inspection and the failure of inspection personnel to detect the loose fitting. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, climb - to cruise - fuel system,line - disconnected - fuel system,line fitting - not secured - maintenance,100-hour inspection - improper, other maintenance personnel (cause) - maintenance,inspection - inadequate, other maintenance personnel (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - residence - object - utility pole ## Analysis During departure climbout, after reaching 1,500 to 2,000 feet agl, the pilot/flight instructor noted that the student pilot had not properly set the throttle friction lock and the throttle had retarded to about 15 inches of manifold pressure. The pilot instructed his student to advance the throttle, however, when the student did so the manifold pressure rose momentarily and then the engine abruptly stopped delivering power. The pilot took control of the aircraft from his student, performed the engine failure checklist, declared an emergency, and established a glide toward a nearby airport. When it became apparent that the aircraft could not glide to the airport, he turned toward an open agricultural field. The aircraft impacted the roof of a house and a light pole across the street from the field boundary and came to rest at the edge of the field. Postaccident examination revealed that a fuel supply hose had come unscrewed off the inlet nipple of the fuel control unit. An 100-hour inspection was completed the prior day and this was the first flight following the inspection. ## Factual narrative On August 22, 1997, at 1430 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 210E, N1808F, was destroyed when it collided with a building and a utility pole in Oxnard, California, after a loss of engine power while climbing to cruise altitude. The certified flight instructor and private pilot student received serious injuries; the sole passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was operated by Sun Air Aviation, Camarillo, California, as an instructional flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated in Camarillo and was destined for Burbank, California. An instrument flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot/flight instructor reported that the right magneto rpm drop was excessive during pretakeoff checks and it was necessary to return to the ramp and have a mechanic clean the spark plugs. The magneto check on the second run-up was within limits and the ensuing takeoff was normal. During climbout, after reaching 1,500 to 2,000 feet agl, the pilot noted that the student pilot had not properly set the throttle friction lock and the throttle had retarded to about 15 inches of manifold pressure. The pilot instructed his student to advance the throttle. When he did so the manifold pressure started to rise and the engine abruptly stopped delivering power. The pilot took control of the aircraft from his student, performed the engine failure checklist, declared an emergency, and established a glide toward Oxnard Airport. When it became apparent that the aircraft could not reach the airport he turned toward an open agricultural field but impacted the roof of a house across the street from the field boundary. The left wing then struck a light pole and the aircraft came to rest at the edge of the field. Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration Van Nuys Flight Standards District Office examined the aircraft at the accident scene. They noted that the fuel supply hose in the engine compartment extending from the engine driven fuel pump to the fuel control unit was disconnected at the attachment to the fuel control unit. On further examination, the hose end fitting and the fuel control unit inlet nipple appeared undamaged and serviceable. The engine recording tachometer time was 656.2 hours. According to the aircraft and engine logbooks, a 100-hour inspection of the aircraft and engine was completed the previous day, August 21, 1997, at tachometer time of 655.8 hours. According to the records, all engine hoses were replaced during a 100-hour inspection on June 11, 1997, at engine recording tachometer time of 571.0 hours. There is another logbook entry on August 22, 1997 that the number one cylinder bottom spark plug was replaced at 656.0 hours. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1808F](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1808F-2018-01-11), registration cancelled 2018-01-11, S/N 21058708, built 1965 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 210E - Registry model: [Cessna 210E](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210e) (registry code 2073416) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 210-58708 - Airframe hours: 2376 - Engines: Continental IO-520-A 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Henry Gantner - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 21, 1997, 1 hours before - Departed: CMA, CAMARILLO, CA - Destination: BUR, BURBANK, CA - Flight plan: IFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 3,120 total, 15 in this make and model, 1,132 as pilot in command, 128 in the last 90 days, 30 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 10 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: OXR, 225 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 19970822023399A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970822023399A), Aug 22, 1997: Cessna 210E, Oxnard, CA, Destroyed. Aircraft engine failed, attempted to land at Oxnard, hit a build, then a light standard, crashed and burned. (.4) during departure climbout, after reaching… ## Other investigations on N1808F (1) 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. - [NTSB LAX67D0021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX67D0021), Jun 24, 1966: Cessna 210E (N1808F), Parker, AZ, substantial damage 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.