NTSB Factual Report

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.

NTSB Probable Cause

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