CESSNA T210M

Brownsville, TX, October 26, 2014

Event Information

DateOctober 26, 2014
Event TypeACC
LocationBrownsville, TX
CountryUSA
Coordinates25.91722, -97.42333
AirportBrownsville Int'l Airport
Highest InjuryNONE
NTSB NumberCEN15LA031
Event ID20141028X02457

Aircraft

MakeCESSNA
ModelT210M
Registration #XBNCZ
OperatorLuis Cantu Chapa
OwnerLuis Cantu Chapa
CategoryAIR
FAR Part091
Aircraft DamageSUBS

Conditions

Light ConditionDAYL
WeatherVMC

Injuries

Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
None2
Total Injured0

Event Location

Probable Cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning.

Full Narrative

On October 26, 2014, about 1221 central daylight time, a Cessna T210M, Mexican registration XBNCZ, collided with trees following a loss of engine power while on final approach to land at the Brownsville International Airport (BRO), Brownsville, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The aircraft was registered to the pilot and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which originated from Monterrey, Mexico.

The pilot reported that he performed a preflight on the airplane prior to departure, but he did not visually check the fuel quantity in the fuel tanks.

The pilot reported that the left fuel tank ran dry during the flight so he switched to the right fuel tank. The pilot was on final approach to land on runway 17 at BRO when the accident occurred. He stated that he realized that the engine was not producing power when he attempted to add power while on final approach at 70 knots with 20 degrees of flaps extended. The airplane continued to descend and it contacted trees and the terrain about ½ mile north of the airport. The both wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage during the impact.

The fuel tanks were intact at the accident site. The right tank contained about 1/8 of a tank of fuel. The fuel selector was on the right tank position. The left tank was empty.

About This NTSB Record

This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

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