Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On September 9, 1995, at 0823 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 210F, N1851F, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Montrose, Colorado. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as an instructional flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated at Montrose, CO, approximately 0725 MDT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.

The following is based on the pilot/operator report. The pilot said he did three touch and go landings on runway 13 when the active runway was switched to runway 31. Two airplanes were waiting to take off and the pilot elected to make "a wide clockwise turn off my crosswind pattern and circle back" to the runway. The engine lost power during this turn. The airplane was over the town of Montrose and the only open area was a small field next to a drive-in theater. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane collided with trees and impacted terrain.

The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector that he had been flying on the left fuel tank and when the engine lost power, he switched the fuel selector to the right tank but the engine did not respond.

The owner told the inspector that there was fuel on board the airplane at the time of the accident. A fireman said he observed fuel leaking from the right tank, but no fuel leaking from the left tank. The manager of the salvage company that retrieved the airplane said there was no fuel in the engine fuel line when it was disconnected. Additionally, he found no fuel in the left fuel tank line. When the fuel selector was positioned on the left tank and the boost pump turned on, no fuel was ejected. Records indicated that, excluding the accident flight, the airplane had flown 3.9 hours since it was last refueled.

Four days after the accident, the engine was functionally tested under the supervision of the FAA inspector. Drawing from the fuel remaining in the right fuel tank, the engine operated normally. THE PILOT'S INATTENTIVENESS TO THE LOW FUEL SUPPLY AND HIS FAILURE TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS IN A TIMELY MANNER. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.