N5129C – CESSNA T210N – 2017-10-23 NTSB Accident Report

On October 23, 2017, a Cessna T210N (N5129C) was involved in an incident near Eagle, CO. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Following a 1.5-hour local flight, the pilot was returning to his home airfield. Due to inbound traffic to the airport, the pilot circled once to the west and descended for the runway. About 8 miles from the runway, he lowered the landing gear and set 10° flaps. While on the base leg, the engine did not respond to the throttle inputs. The pilot switched tanks, turned on the auxiliary fuel pump and increased the mixture. Engine power was not restored, and the pilot notified the tower that the airplane had a total loss of engine power. Traffic was too heavy on a nearby road, so the pilot performed a forced landing to a vacant field. The airplane touched down and the pilot applied brakes. The aircraft traveled for about 90 ft, hit a ditch, and nosed over.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN18CA021. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5129C.