Cessna T210N N4758C accident near Murrieta, California

Probable cause

A loss of engine power during the turn from base to final for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to not maintain traffic pattern altitude, which resulted in the off-airport landing.

NTSB analysis

Before departure, the pilot in command (PIC) performed a preflight inspection of the accident airplane and confirmed that the left- and right-wing fuel tanks contained about 33 gallons of 100LL fuel per side. During the 26-minute cross-country flight, the PIC moved the fuel selector from the left tank position to the right tank about 13 minutes into the flight. When they approached the airport, the PIC retarded the throttle to near idle, while descending and decreasing the airplane’s airspeed. He performed a near mid-field airport crossing from west to east and turned right to enter the downwind for a landing on runway 36. With the landing gear extended and 10° flaps applied, the PIC made another right turn from the downwind leg to the base leg. During the turn from base to final, the airplane’s altitude was about 150 ft above ground level (agl), and the airspeed was 80 knots. The pilot added power to make the runway but the engine did not respond. The airplane continued to descend and impacted a ravine about 2,000 ft short of runway 36, where it came to rest inverted.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the throttle, mixture, and propeller linkage remained intact. The left- and right-wing fuel tanks sustained impact damage and were breached. The left fuel tank cap was present and accounted for, but the right fuel tank cap was not. An engine test run was conducted, and the engine ran for a short time. Examination of the engine revealed impact damage to the electrical system wiring harness, attenuating the power source and starter relay. The starter would spin but did not engage for engine rotation.

Although the engine ran during the postaccident examination, impact damage to the electrical system and starter prevented a conclusive determination for the loss of engine power. The pilot’s decision to intercept the final leg of the airport traffic pattern at an altitude of 150 ft agl, with insufficient airspeed to reach the runway threshold, contributed to the outcome when the engine failed to respond.

Since the right fuel tank cap was not located during the aircraft recovery, fuel starvation or exhaustion was possible, particularly while operating with the auxiliary fuel pump in the on position and the fuel selector in the right tank position while making the right turn from base to final. However, as a result of impact damage, the right-wing fuel tank was breached and the fuel quantity could not be determined. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA098 for the full record.