NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 23, 1999, at 1952 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 210, N9512T, collided with an electrical transmission line, a tree, and an apartment complex in a residential area in Hayward, California. The obstacle collisions occurred following a loss of engine power as the airplane descended toward the Hayward airport. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated private pilot received serious injuries. His two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Columbia airport in Columbia, California, about 1907 on the evening of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot's daughter stated that her father had departed Columbia with his intended destination being the Hayward Executive Airport. A Safety Board investigator calculated that the flight time between Columbia and Hayward, a distance of 98 statute miles (SM), would have taken approximately 45 minutes at an average speed of 160 mph, including an additional 10 minutes for takeoff, climb, and maneuvering.

Air traffic control specialists in the Hayward air traffic control tower reported that the inbound pilot's transmissions were routine until he radioed, "I just switched tanks and completely lost my engine."

In subsequent transmissions the pilot stated, "I can't make it to the airport," and that he would "have to land on a landfill" but that he was "looking for the power lines though."

A witness on a hill less than 1 mile east of the crash site reported that she saw the airplane as it glided past. She said that the propeller appeared to be turning but that there was no audible engine sound. The airplane then banked right and immediately disappeared from view.

Witness observations reported that the pilot's flight path had been southwest bound, paralleling the south side of transmission lines that run east to west until reaching a point about 2 miles southeast of the airport. Then, as the pilot crossed Whitman Street, he began a banked turn to the right. During the turn, the right wing tip clipped a single transmission line. Witnesses at the scene told police that from this point the remainder of his descent appeared to be uncontrolled.

PILOT INFORMATION

The pilot received his private certificate with an airplane single engine land rating on October 1, 1957.

Investigators received a written statement from a certified flight instructor (CFI) stating that the pilot had satisfactorily completed a biennial flight review (BFR) on September 22, 1998. The BFR statement included emergency procedures. The instructor stated that he found no notable deficiencies in the pilot's performance. There was also an entry in the pilot's logbook corresponding with the CFI's written statement.

According to pilot logbook records, the pilot has flown this airplane since he purchased it on January 10, 1970. However, the pilot's total time in this airplane or in a similar make and model is not known. The pilot did not break down his flight time into day or night, make and model, single or multiengine, cross-country, dual instruction, or instrument (hood or simulator).

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

A review of the airplane's maintenance records did not disclose any discrepancies or noncompliance with any applicable airworthiness directive. There were no supplemental type certificates or airframe modifications noted in the airplane data file.

The engine was last overhauled on November 27, 1996. At that time the tachometer read 6,901.05 hours. According to the engine tachometer, it has since operated an additional 327.63 hours.

The airplane was equipped with two main fuel tanks, one per wing, each with a 32.5-gallon capacity. The tanks are equipped with fuel gauges that are electrically powered and operate independently of each other. The pilot's operating handbook (POH) also states, "The tank sending units are set so that the gauge reads empty when the fuel level is down to five gallons or less since the last five gallons is unusable in the most adverse flight attitudes." Maintenance records did not disclose any prior discrepancies with the fuel gauges. There was no warning or caution in the POH informing the pilot of the danger of relying solely on the airplane fuel gauges for purposes of fuel management.

The POH "before landing" checklist directs that the pilot select the fullest tank before landing. There was no warning or caution in the POH informing the pilot of a procedure to switch back to the previous tank if a power loss is experienced immediately after switching tanks.

The airplane is equipped with a mechanical fuel pump and an auxiliary fuel boost pump. According to the POH, the auxiliary fuel boost pump "is not used normal operations because with the engine-driven pump functioning, it produces a fuel/air ratio considerably richer than best power."

According to fuel receipts provided to investigators by Bald Eagle Aviation, Inc., of Columbia airport, Columbia, the last known fuel purchase was made on April 20, 1999, consisting of 10.3 gallons of 100LL octane aviation fuel. The pilot's logbook showed that a flight in the accident airplane of 2 hours 25 minutes duration, which was also logged on that date. The total quantity of fuel onboard at the time of departure is unknown.

The POH states, "The engine is approved for 100/130 fuel only." The engine manufacturer stated that 100-octane low lead (LL) is an acceptable alternative fuel for 100/130-octane aviation fuel.

The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses.

METEORLOGICAL INFROMATION

The Hayward Executive Airport aviation surface weather observation about 1 hour prior to the accident, was reporting surface winds from 270 degrees at 6 knots. The special observation taken at the time of the accident was winds from 270 degrees at 9 knots, clear skies, and 10 SM visibility.

The accident occurred at sunset.

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

The No. 1 very high frequency (VHF) navigation radio was set to 116.00 mHz, a frequency that corresponds to the Manteca VORTAC. The Manteca VHF Omni-directional Range/Tactical Aircraft Control (VORTAC) is located about midway between Columbia and Hayward. The omni-bearing selector (OBS) was set to 310 degrees. The No. 2 VHF navigation radio was to 114.2 mHz, a frequency that does not correspond to any known VHF navigational aid along the route of flight.

The automatic direction finder (ADF) was tuned to 740 Hz. This frequency corresponds to the commercial Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio band and is not found on aeronautical charts. The function switch was in the antenna position, with the direction-finding needle positioned on 360 degrees and the non-fixed heading card indicating a heading of 340 degrees.

COMMUNICATIONS

The No. 1 communication radio was set to 120.20 mHz. This frequency corresponds to the Hayward Executive tower. The No. 2 communication radio was set to 118.3 mHz. This frequency does not correspond to any known communication frequency at Hayward Executive.

The altitude encoding transponder was set to squawk the 1200 VFR code with the selector switch in the "ALT" encoding position. The tower specialist did not report any abnormality with the altitude data provided by the unit.

The pilot reported receiving air traffic information service (ATIS) Juliet prior to his initial call to the tower. The control tower specialist had cleared him for a right base entry to runway 28R prior to the onset of the emergency.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Safety Board investigators arrived at the accident site on April 24, 1999, the morning after the accident. They identified the accident site location as being 37 degrees 39.443 minutes north latitude, and 122 degrees 4.582 minutes west longitude. They estimated the site elevation to be about 50 feet mean sea level (msl).

The first piece that was found along the debris path was a separated portion of the right wing tip. It was located on the ground at the base of a transmission tower that was on the west side of Whitman Street, immediately south of an apartment complex. A spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the utility involved, reported that there were no power outages or tripped relays. The utility company said one conductor was damaged and had been repaired. The height of this wire was 95 feet above ground level (agl). The height of the transmission tower was reported as 110 feet agl. Utility company workers stated that they replaced the damaged section by splicing in a new section of 954 ASCR (aluminum steel core wire).

The left main gear had separated from the airplane. It was found on the ground between Whitman Street and an apartment building, about 30 feet north of the transmission lines.

A splintered and scarred eucalyptus tree was found about 160 feet northwest of the transmission lines. The forward portion of the cabin and left wing were resting on the roof of an apartment carport about 3 feet north of the tree. The apartment buildings are located in the 600 block of Whitman Street. The aft cockpit, the remainder of the right wing, and the empennage were lying on a sidewalk at the base of the tree, on the south side of the carport.

Upon walking through the accident site, investigators noted that there was no evidence of fire or prevailing odor of fuel in the vicinity. During the removal of the airplane, investigators observed recovery personnel drain approximately 2.5 gallons of blue-colored fuel from the left tank. The color and odor of the fuel recovered was consistent with the color and odor of 100LL octane aviation fuel. Investigators found no visible evidence of contamination in the fuel captured from the left tank.

There was no measurable fuel quantity in the right tank. The tank was crushed but exhibited no evidence of hydraulic deformation. The corresponding left fuel gauge read below empty while the right fuel gauge read above full.

There was no evidence of fuel staining on the outer surfaces of either wing. Both fuel caps were securely seated in their respective filler ports.

The fuel selector valve handle was found in the "right" position. The selector has "right," "left," and "off" positions only, which correspond to a placard mounted beneath the handle. The fuel valve was later removed and internally examined. It was found to properly correlate with the placard and the position of the selector valve handle.

No written evidence of fuel planning was found in the airplane.

The 2-bladed hydraulic constant-speed propeller exhibited a single blade that was bent aft approximately midspan. The second blade showed no evidence of deformation. Both blades exhibited a series of chordwise, span wise, and bias scratches on the forward blade surfaces. Neither blade had notable leading or trailing edge damage.

Engine control linkages were further examined and continuity was established from the cockpit to the engine with the throttle, mixture, and propeller. All three control handles were found in the full forward positions. The manifold pressure gauge read 29 inches, the engine tachometer read zero rpm, and the fuel pressure gauge had been destroyed.

The cowl flap lever was in the closed position and the cowl flaps were closed. The induction hot air push/pull control handle was in the closed position, and the spring loaded alternate air door was closed.

The ignition switch was in the "off" position and the ignition key was missing. The master switch and the auxiliary fuel pump switches were both found in their respective "off" positions.

All flight control surfaces were located and continuity was established from each surface through the bell cranks and cables to the cockpit. Turnbuckle assemblies and cable stop blocks were present and safetied.

According go the manufacturer's representative, the trim-tab's actuator position correlated to 20 degrees tab up (nose down). The cockpit pitch trim position indicator had been destroyed. The trim tab control surface was displaced in an upward direction from the elevator control surface. The bungee operated rudder trim system indicator was found set in the neutral position.

The hydraulically actuated flaps were found in the fully retracted position. The flap control switch was found in the "up" position; however, the flap position indicator read 40 degrees.

The landing gear handle was found in the "down neutral" position and the hydraulically actuated landing gear were extended.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

No toxicological report for the pilot was made available to investigators.

The pilot's last medical examination that was conducted in conjunction with the issuance of his third-class medical certificate did not disclose any medical conditions beyond a requirement that he wear corrective lenses for distance vision and possess corrective lenses for near vision.

The pilot's medical condition immediately following the accident prevented him from being questioned by Safety Board investigators. He has since recovered from his injuries, but stated that he has no recollection of the events leading up to the accident.

The pilot's wife was seated in the right front seat with access to the airplane's dual controls. Specimens were retained for toxicological examination. The specimens were negative for all screened substances. She was not a certificated pilot and there was no evidence to suggest that she was manipulating the controls at the time of the accident.

SURVIVAL ASPECTS

The right cockpit control wheel column was fractured and displaced in an upward direction. The left cockpit control wheel column was bent in an upward direction.

The right front seat had separated from the seat track. It was found outside the airplane adjacent to the empennage at the base of a splintered eucalyptus tree.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

On April 24, 1999, Plain Parts recovery personnel transported the airplane to their storage facility in Pleasant Grove, California, for further investigation.

Investigators reconvened on April 25, 1999, and the airplane's engine was functionally tested. Investigators noted that the right magneto exhibited impact damage, as did the starter. The engine was removed from the airframe and mounted on a trailer. A salvaged propeller was mounted on the propeller flange; a salvaged starter was mounted to the accessory section; fuel was fed to the engine from a 1-gallon can; and a 12-volt battery was used to supply electrical power. The P-leads were cut from the left magneto and the battery circuit was closed. After being supplied fuel and a source of ignition, the fuel lines were purged, and the starter was engaged. The engine started, accelerated, and ran for several minutes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Investigators found the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) with the switch in the armed position. According to tower personnel who had reportedly been receiving the signal since the time of the accident, the ELT continued to transmit an emergency signal until investigators switched it off on April 24, 1999, the day following the accident.

The airplane was released to Universal Loss Management, a representative of the registered owner, on February 22, 2001.

The wreckage diagram appended to this file was superimposed on a portion of a scaled blueprint depicting the "Orchard Park Apartments" site plan.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his failure to verify fuel consumption during flight that resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent collision with obstacles and the ground.