Bountiful, UT, USA
N18DP
CESSNA P210N
The pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight in the airplane since its annual inspection, which occurred about 6 weeks before the accident. He conducted a thorough preflight inspection and run-up. Before takeoff, he added full power with the brakes applied, and, after noting no abnormal engine or instrument indications, he took off. When the airplane reached about 150 to 200 ft above the ground, the engine started to run roughly. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude, so the pilot executed a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing, the airplane sunk into the mud and nosed over. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the fuel lines connected to the input and output of the fuel flow indicator were loose and leaking. After these lines were tightened about 1.5 turns and pressure was applied, a third leak was found in the vicinity of a metal label on the fuel line between the fuel manifold and the fuel pressure gauge. The aircraft manufacturer's service manual states that the engine compartment rubber hoses must be replaced every 5 years or at engine overhaul, whichever occurs first. According to the airplane's maintenance logbook, the most recent engine overhaul occurred about 18 years before the accident. The mechanic who conducted the annual inspection reported that, during the inspection, he removed the fuel lines to and from the engine-mounted fuel flow transducer to troubleshoot a lack of indicated fuel pressure at the cockpit-mounted instrument. It is likely that the mechanic failed to adequately tighten the fuel lines when he reinstalled them.
On February 23, 2014, about 1405 mountain standard time, a Cessna P210N, N18DP, experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from Skypark Airport (BTF), Bountiful Utah. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, private parties under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destined for Heber City Municipal Airport – Russ McDonald Field (36U), Heber Utah. The pilot reported that this was the first flight after the airplane's annual inspection. He conducted a thorough preflight inspection and run-up. Before takeoff, the pilot added full power with the brakes applied. The pilot listened to the engine and watched the instrument gauges; with everything operating normally, he took off. When the airplane reached about 150-200 feet above the ground the engine started to run rough. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot executed a forced landing onto a nearby field. During the landing, the airplane sunk into the mud and nosed over. During a postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a representative from Continental Motors, fuel pressure was applied to the fuel lines from the left wing fuel tank to the engine. It was noted that the fuel lines connecting to the input and output from the JPI fuel flow Indicator were loose and leaking. The lines were tightened at least 1.5 turns and pressure was reapplied to the fuel system. The leaks stopped, however, a third leak was found in the vicinity of a metal label on the fuel line in between the fuel manifold and the fuel pressure gauge. The label indicated that it was installed by Cessna during the fourth quarter of 1977. The Cessna Model P210 Service Manual states "Replace engine compartment rubber hoses every 5 years or at engine overhaul, whichever occurs first." The airplane's engine was last overhauled June 20, 1996. The airplane's maintenance logbook indicated that during the annual inspection that occurred on January 12, 2014, at a tachometer time of 547.07 hours, "Wiring repaired on intercooler temperature probes, and FS-450 fuel scan miniature D connector (JPI fuel flow indicator)." Through email conversation, the mechanic reported that during the annual inspection he removed the fuel lines to and from the engine mounted fuel flow transducer to troubleshoot a lack of indicated fuel pressure at the cockpit mounted instrument.
Fuel starvation due to the in-flight loosening of the fuel lines attached to the fuel flow indicator as a result of inadequate maintenance.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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