Air In The Tanks

Ive owned Cessna T210s since 1977; first a 1969 J model and then a 1979 N model with a TSIO-520-R engine. In the 1980s, there were a number of fuel exhaustion accidents in 210s, all of them attributable to not getting a full fill and resulting in being shorted an hours supply when fueling stops after fuel backs up out of the filler port. The outboard sections of the fuel tanks are slightly higher than the bottom of the filler port. To get the last one-plus gallons in the tanks requires the slowest of fueling until reaching the real full point.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must be diligent in fueling aircraft, especially those with tricky tank designs like Cessna 210s, ensuring a complete fill and calibrating fuel flow transducers for accurate consumption data to prevent fuel exhaustion.
For serious in-flight emergencies, proactively activating a 406 MHz ELT ensures a distress signal is sent, as ADS-B Out is not a substitute for ELTs in search and rescue operations.
To mitigate engine failure risks during takeoff, pilots should prioritize using full runway length by avoiding intersection departures and pre-plan emergency landing options beyond the runway end.

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Just read October’s Learning Experience entry, “Air In The Tanks.” This account has two lessons that weren’t expanded upon.

I’ve owned Cessna T210s since 1977; first a 1969 J model and then a 1979 N model with a TSIO-520-R engine. In the 1980s, there were a number of fuel exhaustion accidents in 210s, all of them attributable to not getting a full fill and resulting in being shorted an hour’s supply when fueling stops after fuel backs up out of the filler port. The outboard sections of the fuel tanks are slightly higher than the bottom of the filler port. To get the last one-plus gallons in the tanks requires the slowest of fueling until reaching the real full point.