At about 16:45 mountain time, a Cessna T210N lost engine power shortly after takeoff and was damaged during a forced landing at Colorado City. The four occupants suffered minor injuries. The pilot, who is also a maintenance technician, had just completed an annual inspection and installed an overhauled engine in the airplane. The pilot said he had flown the airplane three times for a total of about 2.5 hours. During takeoff and initial climb, the engine lost power at 400 to 500 feet agl. The pilot performed a 180-degree turn back to the airport but was unable to reach the runway and collided with rocky terrain. The pilot said he visually checked both fuel tanks during the preflight, observing about 1 inch in the left tank and about 1.5 in the right. After the accident the fuel selector was on the left tank and the left tank was empty.
Dec. 26, Colorado City, Ariz. / Cessna Centurion
At about 16:45 mountain time, a Cessna T210N lost engine power shortly after takeoff and was damaged during a forced landing at Colorado City. The four occupants suffered minor injuries. The pilot, who is also a maintenance technician, had just completed an annual inspection and installed an overhauled engine in the airplane. The pilot said he had flown the airplane three times for a total of about 2.5 hours. During takeoff and initial climb, the engine lost power at 400 to 500 feet agl. The pilot performed a 180-degree turn back to the airport but was unable to reach the runway and collided with rocky terrain. The pilot said he visually checked both fuel tanks during the preflight, observin...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna T210N experienced engine power loss shortly after takeoff, resulting in a forced landing, significant damage, and minor injuries to its four occupants.
- The incident occurred approximately 2.5 flight hours after the pilot, also a maintenance technician, had completed an annual inspection and installed an overhauled engine.
- Post-accident findings suggest a potential fuel exhaustion issue, as the pilot noted very low fuel levels during preflight and the selected left fuel tank was found empty.
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