Cessna T210J N2275R accident near Rabbit Hash, Kentucky

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

The pilot had just purchased the airplane and was flying it back to his home airport. When filing his flight plan, the pilot estimated that the time en route for the cross-country flight was 6 hours 30 minutes and that he had 7 hours 30 minutes of fuel on board; however, he planned to stop for fuel at an intermediate airport.

The pilot did not stop at the planned fuel stop. Instead, he continued toward an airport about 300 miles further along his route of flight. While being vectored for a visual approach to that airport, after flying for 4 hours 17 minutes, the engine lost all power. The airplane impacted a wooded area about 8 miles from the airport. Examination of the wreckage revealed that there was no fuel onboard. A subsequent test-run of the engine revealed that it was capable of producing full power.

Before the purchase, the airplane’s 285-horsepower engine had been converted to a 310-horsepower engine. The increased power also resulted in increased fuel burn, which the pilot did not account for in his fuel planning. Review of performance data revealed that at 75 percent power, the airplane had an endurance of about 4 hours 30 minutes, not including the fuel needed for start, taxi, takeoff, and climb.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12LA224 for the full record.