N4813P

On June 20, 1993, about 1137 central daylight time, a Cessna P210 airplane, N4813P, sustained substantial damage following a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing on a field near Pulaski, Illinois. The solo private pilot was not injured. The flight operated in visual meteorological conditions under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed Saratoga Springs, New York, at 0610. The pilot had filed an instrument flight plan and was operating under instrument flight rules.

According to the pilot's statement, while 45 miles from his destination, he was cleared by Springfield Air Traffic Control (ATC) to descend. At this time, he changed the selected fuel tank from the right to the left. After a few minutes the engine sputtered, so he changed the selected tank back to the right. The pilot then noticed that the fuel gauge for the right tank read zero. He turned on the emergency fuel pump but then lost all engine power. The pilot states, "... I put the emergency fuel pump on and told Springfield [ATC] that I inquired about landing in Lincoln, but it was 10 miles away and while I was having this conversation the airplane ran out of fuel with the fuel flow indicator registering zero."

Postaccident examination of the airplane discovered approximately 2.5 gallons of fuel in the left tip tank, and 6.5 gallons in the left main tank. A mechanic who helped transport the airplane prior to the above examination, estimates that an additional 2 gallons of fuel was removed from the left main tank before the airplane was moved. The mechanic also reported that the right tanks appeared empty. No useable fuel was found in the right tanks during the postaccident examination.

The accident airplane's engine was successfully started and ran on June 24, 1993, by an FAA inspector. A substitute left fuel tank was used. The fuel selector was positioned to the left tank, and the engine was operated for approximately one minute with no observed mechanical anomalies.