- Date
- December 13, 1992, 08:37 local (13:37 UTC)
- Place
- Londonderry, NH
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N210PQCessna T210
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921213049859A
- Case key
- 37277
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
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. Contributing was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation.
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 departed on an instrument flight with what he reported as an estimated 26 gallons of fuel on board, or 1.6 hours of flying time. The destination airport was an estimated 1 hour and 35 minutes flying time away. Approximately 14 minutes into the flight, at 11,000 feet, the pilot requested to land at a closer airport for fuel. Approximately two and one half miles from the alternate airport the engine failed. The pilot attempted a gear down landing to a snow covered field. On final approach the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground. According to computations made with documents provided by the pilot, which included his anticipatory fuel log, the pilot departed on the flight with an estimated 13.5 gallons of fuel, which according to the pilots estimate of 17 gallons per hour fuel burn, gave him approximately 48 minutes of fuel in the tanks at take-off. Fuel exhaustion occurred approximately 50 minutes into the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N210PQ
- Reported as
- Cessna T210
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 210G4553
- Airframe hours
- 1,231
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-R, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- P-Q Controls, Inc.
- Registered owner
- P-Q Controls, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 31, 1992 · 72 hours before
- Departed
- 4B8 · Plainville, CT
- Destination
- MHT · Manchester, NH
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 443 total · 373 in this make and model · 383 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MHT, 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.