N1808F

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.