NTSB Factual Report

On December 1, 2004, approximately 1350 central standard time, a Cessna P210N single-engine airplane, N6300P, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The airline transport rated pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to Larson Implement, Inc., of Leeds, North Dakota, and operated by Silver Wings Aviation, Inc., of Santa Monica, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Salina Municipal Airport (SLN), near Salina, Kansas, at 1300, destined for Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The 4,000-hour pilot reported in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that after departure from SLN during the climb to his intended cruising altitude, the engine began to "run rough." As the engine continued to run rough, the pilot leaned the engine mixture while checking the cylinder head temperature, and "the engine seemed to smooth out."

During cruise flight at an altitude of 7,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the pilot stated that "the engine failed," and he immediately disengaged the autopilot, advanced the mixture to full, cycled the fuel pump, and switched the fuel selector to the "fullest tank."

Subsequently, the engine lost power again, and the pilot attempted to glide the airplane towards the Pawhuska Municipal Airport (H76). After realizing he was unable to make it to the airport, the pilot elected to land on a gravel road. During the landing roll, the left main wheel separated, and the left main landing gear collapsed as the airplane came to rest in an upright position.

During a telephone interview with an NTSB representative, the pilot reported that after the loss of engine power, he switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank and "the engine momentarily gained power for a few minutes."

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the left horizontal stabilizer was bent upward. Prior to the recovery of the airplane, the FAA inspector was able to start the engine using the right fuel tank. The engine ran for approximately 10 minutes with no abnormalities noted before the inspector shut the engine down using the mixture control. During the recovery process, the inspector noted that approximately one gallon of fuel was drained from the left wing fuel tank, and approximately 44 gallons of fuel were drained from the right wing fuel tank.

As stated in the FAA approved pilot's operating handbook, the unusable fuel quantity for both fuel tanks is one gallon. A fuel receipt obtained from the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at SLN indicated that the airplane was refueled with 34.5 gallons of 100 Low Lead aviation fuel prior to departure.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel by his failure to adequately set the fuel selector position which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.