Cessna 210-5(205) N8472Z accident near Weatherford, Oklahoma

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power during descent.

NTSB analysis

The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during a descent to the planned destination airport. The pilot reported that, before departure, he had fuel added to the preexisting fuel onboard the airplane, which he "confirmed" during the preflight inspection by looking at the fuel gauges. He did not visually inspect the fuel tanks. He entered the amount of added fuel into a fuel totalizer, and the totalizer indicated that the total amount of fuel on board was greater than the amount of fuel needed for the flight. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed about 3 to 4 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank and less than 1 gallon of fuel in the right fuel tank. Because the pilot did not visually verify the amount of fuel onboard the airplane, the fuel totalizer likely showed an inaccurate amount of fuel and led to the pilot's belief that he had sufficient fuel for the flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13LA565 for the full record.