Cessna P210N Safety Record

The pilot's failure to complete proper preflight performance planning and his operation of the airplane outside of the manufacturer's specified weight and balance limitations, which resulted in the airplane’s inability to maintain altitude and an impact with trees and terrain during an attempted forced landing.

The stuck turbocharger wastegate in the closed position for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Also causal was the pilot's failure to reduce the throttle during takeoff when the manifold pressure and fuel flow exceeded the takeoff limitations and the pilot's decision to turn on the fuel boost pump, which exacerbated the excessively rich fuel mixture and resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Maintenance personnel's improper installation of the throttle linkage attachment hardware, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power when the hardware separated in flight.

The failure of the electrical system due to an alternator failure during flight in instrument meteorological conditions, and the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to use the approved checklist for the dual alternator system. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate maintenance because the alternator restart battery pack was not replaced annually, as required by the airplane service manual.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper engine restart procedures.

The pilot's failure to maintain proper glidepath during the landing approach resulting in the pilot not maintaining clearance from the trees. Factors were the haze, the gusty winds, and the trees.

the pilot's improper inflight planning/decision and failure to refuel en route and ensure an adequate supply of fuel to safely complete the flight to his destination with adequate reserves, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, subsequent engine failure, and a forced landing into a wooded area at night.

The failure of the inter-cooler duct connecting the inter-cooler to the engine due to inadequate attachment of the inter-cooler to the aircraft which resulted in loss of turbocharger air overboard and loss of engine power and damage to the aircraft during a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was inadequate inspection requirements for the inter-cooler system and inadequate inspection of the inter-cooler system by the mechanic during the last inspection.

the pilot's improper planning/decision and inaccurate fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in an inadequate supply of fuel, fuel exhaustion, and a subsequent forced landing at night. Darkness was a related factor.

fatigue and subsequent catastrophic failure of the connecting rod originating from the decarburized area on the shank of the rod. Factors were the low cloud weather condition and the ditch.

THE PILOT DID NOT ALIGN THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE RUNWAY. FACTORS WERE THE DUSK LIGHT CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ACTIVATE THE PILOT CONTROLLED RUNWAY LIGHTS.

the pilot's improper aircraft preflight inspection, and his failure to use pitot heat during the takeoff in icing conditions, which led to a blocked pitot tube. The blockage resulted in erroneous airspeed indications during the initial climb, which induced the pilot to reduce the aircraft pitch attitude to a point where the aircraft entered an uncorrected descent to ground impact.

the pilot's poor decision to continue flying the airplane with a known deficiency and the poorly performed major overhaul of the engine. The failed crankshaft due to fatigue are factors in this accident.