Cessna T210 N6834R accident near Fiilmore, California

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power as a result of the pilot’s failure to remove a towel from the engine’s air induction following maintenance.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated that, after a normal departure, he climbed the airplane to a cruise altitude about 4,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and configured it for cruise flight. Thereafter, the engine experienced a sudden total loss of power. Despite his attempts to troubleshoot the failure, he could not restart the engine and performed a forced landing in a dry riverbed. After touchdown, the nose landing gear impacted a rock and collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.

Examination revealed a cloth towel blocking the turbocharger inlet tube that had become entangled with the turbocharger compressor wheel. The towel likely blocked the inlet air from reaching the cylinders, which resulted in a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that during the last oil change, about 34 flight hours before the accident, he removed the airbox and placed a towel in the inlet scat tubing (not disconnected) in an effort to protect the turbocharger from foreign object damage.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19LA016 for the full record.