Air In The Tanks

I was flying my Cessna T210R Turbo Centurion from the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, N.Y., to the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK) in Atlanta, Ga., on a dark night. I departed KHPN IFR but encountered unlimited visibility over North Carolina and cancelled. Before takeoff, I observed line personnel fill both fuel tanks. I had planned to have an hours fuel reserve on landing at PDK, and there hadnt been any unforecast headwinds. However, as I passed over Greenville, S.C., at 12,500 feet, both fuel gauges showed the tanks nearly empty.

Editorial Staff

Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot experienced an inflight engine failure due to unexpected fuel exhaustion during a cross-country flight, despite pre-flight checks and calculations indicating sufficient fuel.
The pilot executed an emergency landing by stalling the aircraft into treetops just short of the runway, which minimized damage and resulted in only minor injuries.
Initial investigations were baffled by the discrepancy between expected and actual fuel levels, and the FAA did not fault the pilot due to evidence of proper fueling.
Years later, the pilot discovered the likely cause: a design quirk in some Cessna 210 models that could trap air in the fuel tanks, preventing them from being fully filled.

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I was flying my Cessna T210R Turbo Centurion from the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, N.Y., to the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK) in Atlanta, Ga., on a dark night. I departed KHPN IFR but encountered unlimited visibility over North Carolina and cancelled. Before takeoff, I observed line personnel fill both fuel tanks. I had planned to have an hour’s fuel reserve on landing at PDK, and there hadn’t been any unforecast headwinds. However, as I passed over Greenville, S.C., at 12,500 feet, both fuel gauges showed the tanks nearly empty.

Wiggling the fuel gauge wires behind the panel sometimes fixes an inaccurate reading, but this time there was no change. While I was confident my fuel calculations were correct, I decided to make a precautionary landing. From 12,500 feet, I could spiral down to Greenville or descend for Toccoa, Ga., some 50 nm ahead. I chose Toccoa.