Summary
On October 27, 2022, a Cessna T210 (N36X) was involved in an incident near Burleson, TX. 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 mismanagement of the fuel supply, which led to fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.
On October 27, 2022, about 2007 central daylight time (CDT), a Cessna T210M, N36X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS), Burleson, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight. The pilot reported that the flight initiated from the Columbus Airport, Columbus, Georgia (CSG), about 0350 CDT, with the fuel selector on the right fuel tank. About 2 hours into the flight, the fuel selector was switched to the left tank, and when the airplane was about 30 nautical miles from FWS, the fuel selector was switched back to the right tank.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN23LA021. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N36X.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s mismanagement of the fuel supply, which led to fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On October 27, 2022, about 2007 central daylight time (CDT), a Cessna T210M, N36X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS), Burleson, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight.
The pilot reported that the flight initiated from the Columbus Airport, Columbus, Georgia (CSG), about 0350 CDT, with the fuel selector on the right fuel tank. About 2 hours into the flight, the fuel selector was switched to the left tank, and when the airplane was about 30 nautical miles from FWS, the fuel selector was switched back to the right tank. The pilot maneuvered the airplane onto the final approach for runway 18 at FWS, and when he was about ½ mile from the runway threshold, at an altitude of about 200 ft agl, he attempted to increase engine power, but the engine did not respond. He ensured that the fuel mixture was set to full rich and switched the fuel selector back to the left tank, but the engine still did not respond. The pilot reported that he used pitch to maintain the airplane’s approach speed and landed the airplane. During the landing, the airplane struck the localizer antenna array that was about 1,000 ft north of the runway 18 threshold. The airplane touched down in the grass area between the antenna array and the runway. The right main landing gear collapsed, the left elevator was torn from aircraft, and the right horizontal stabilizer structure was bent upward and aft during the accident sequence.
According to flight track information, the flight lasted 4 hours and 10 minutes. Postaccident examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the right fuel tank did not contain a usable quantity of fuel. No other preimpact anomalies were detected that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN23LA021