Narrative:

On jun/tue/98, a friend of mine rented a C210, to fly from lake elmo, mn, to evansville, in, for business reasons and instrument instructions. Throughout the next 3 days, several problems occurred, although the preflight made by me and my student revealed nothing unusual. En route, we were assigned a frequency by ZAU that could not be tuned in by the outdated radios which we did not detect during the preflight. We also discovered that the DME and 1 of the 2 radio receivers were not up to our personal standards. On the final approach into peoria, I backed up my friend's pre- landing check with the bccgumpsf checklist (boost pumps-on, carburetor heat-not installed, cowl flaps-closed, gas-on fullest tank, under carriage-down, mixture-rich, propeller-go around setting, and flaps-deployed). The boost pump caused the engine to flood and stop seconds after we touched the ground and we needed a tug to tow us to the FBO, as our battery became weak. On the same day, at around XX30, we departed peoria for evansville, as peoria was under black-out conditions and the airport environment was dimly lighted. On climb out, we noticed that the left fuel gauge was indicating fuel being depleted at a massive rate. We reported the problem to peoria departure and they gave us vectors to the bloomington, il, airport. I then started smelling a trace of fuel in the aircraft and reported it to peoria departure and started to shut off as many electrical components as I could, to lessen the chance of a fire. The fuel smell in the cockpit came from vapors entering a gap in the window near the rear of the aircraft. Peoria departure advised us to cancel IFR with them on the ground at bloomington. We parked and evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft. We discovered that fuel cap came loose just enough to let the fuel escape, even though it was still in place. The radio was too weak to call peoria to cancel IFR so I then dialed flight service via telephone. It took a very long time to get a briefer to relay the message. I was finally able to get an airport security person, who had a transceiver and reported that the aircraft safely landed seconds before a briefer from st louis managed to take my message. The lack of briefers caused an extensive workload on ATC and probably closed the bloomington airport's IFR traffic for approximately 20 mins. We then decided to leave the aircraft at bloomington to have a new battery installed and drove to evansville to finish our business. We returned to bloomington on jul/thu/98, to fly the aircraft back to lake elmo, mn. We took off and climbed up to our cruising altitude and noticed that our fuel gauges were both indicating zero. I then looked at the generator warning light and noticed that we lost power from the generator. I consequently reported the problem to peoria approach and we were given vectors to peoria. We landed safely and rented a car to drive back to minnesota. Both my friend and I felt that, even though the aircraft could have been determined airworthy by a preflight, it was not maintained properly by the owner.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT, ON AN INST INSTRUCTIONAL FLT WITH ANOTHER PLT, IN A RENTED C210 FOUND SEVERAL MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES, ALONG WITH A LACK OF RADIO COM FREQS USED BY ATC, WHICH CAUSED THEM TO LEAVE THE ACFT FOR MAINT AND DRIVE BACK HOME.

Narrative: ON JUN/TUE/98, A FRIEND OF MINE RENTED A C210, TO FLY FROM LAKE ELMO, MN, TO EVANSVILLE, IN, FOR BUSINESS REASONS AND INST INSTRUCTIONS. THROUGHOUT THE NEXT 3 DAYS, SEVERAL PROBS OCCURRED, ALTHOUGH THE PREFLT MADE BY ME AND MY STUDENT REVEALED NOTHING UNUSUAL. ENRTE, WE WERE ASSIGNED A FREQ BY ZAU THAT COULD NOT BE TUNED IN BY THE OUTDATED RADIOS WHICH WE DID NOT DETECT DURING THE PREFLT. WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE DME AND 1 OF THE 2 RADIO RECEIVERS WERE NOT UP TO OUR PERSONAL STANDARDS. ON THE FINAL APCH INTO PEORIA, I BACKED UP MY FRIEND'S PRE- LNDG CHK WITH THE BCCGUMPSF CHKLIST (BOOST PUMPS-ON, CARB HEAT-NOT INSTALLED, COWL FLAPS-CLOSED, GAS-ON FULLEST TANK, UNDER CARRIAGE-DOWN, MIXTURE-RICH, PROP-GAR SETTING, AND FLAPS-DEPLOYED). THE BOOST PUMP CAUSED THE ENG TO FLOOD AND STOP SECONDS AFTER WE TOUCHED THE GND AND WE NEEDED A TUG TO TOW US TO THE FBO, AS OUR BATTERY BECAME WEAK. ON THE SAME DAY, AT AROUND XX30, WE DEPARTED PEORIA FOR EVANSVILLE, AS PEORIA WAS UNDER BLACK-OUT CONDITIONS AND THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT WAS DIMLY LIGHTED. ON CLBOUT, WE NOTICED THAT THE L FUEL GAUGE WAS INDICATING FUEL BEING DEPLETED AT A MASSIVE RATE. WE RPTED THE PROB TO PEORIA DEP AND THEY GAVE US VECTORS TO THE BLOOMINGTON, IL, ARPT. I THEN STARTED SMELLING A TRACE OF FUEL IN THE ACFT AND RPTED IT TO PEORIA DEP AND STARTED TO SHUT OFF AS MANY ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AS I COULD, TO LESSEN THE CHANCE OF A FIRE. THE FUEL SMELL IN THE COCKPIT CAME FROM VAPORS ENTERING A GAP IN THE WINDOW NEAR THE REAR OF THE ACFT. PEORIA DEP ADVISED US TO CANCEL IFR WITH THEM ON THE GND AT BLOOMINGTON. WE PARKED AND EVACED THE ACFT. WE DISCOVERED THAT FUEL CAP CAME LOOSE JUST ENOUGH TO LET THE FUEL ESCAPE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL IN PLACE. THE RADIO WAS TOO WEAK TO CALL PEORIA TO CANCEL IFR SO I THEN DIALED FLT SVC VIA TELEPHONE. IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME TO GET A BRIEFER TO RELAY THE MESSAGE. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET AN ARPT SECURITY PERSON, WHO HAD A TRANSCEIVER AND RPTED THAT THE ACFT SAFELY LANDED SECONDS BEFORE A BRIEFER FROM ST LOUIS MANAGED TO TAKE MY MESSAGE. THE LACK OF BRIEFERS CAUSED AN EXTENSIVE WORKLOAD ON ATC AND PROBABLY CLOSED THE BLOOMINGTON ARPT'S IFR TFC FOR APPROX 20 MINS. WE THEN DECIDED TO LEAVE THE ACFT AT BLOOMINGTON TO HAVE A NEW BATTERY INSTALLED AND DROVE TO EVANSVILLE TO FINISH OUR BUSINESS. WE RETURNED TO BLOOMINGTON ON JUL/THU/98, TO FLY THE ACFT BACK TO LAKE ELMO, MN. WE TOOK OFF AND CLBED UP TO OUR CRUISING ALT AND NOTICED THAT OUR FUEL GAUGES WERE BOTH INDICATING ZERO. I THEN LOOKED AT THE GENERATOR WARNING LIGHT AND NOTICED THAT WE LOST PWR FROM THE GENERATOR. I CONSEQUENTLY RPTED THE PROB TO PEORIA APCH AND WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO PEORIA. WE LANDED SAFELY AND RENTED A CAR TO DRIVE BACK TO MINNESOTA. BOTH MY FRIEND AND I FELT THAT, EVEN THOUGH THE ACFT COULD HAVE BEEN DETERMINED AIRWORTHY BY A PREFLT, IT WAS NOT MAINTAINED PROPERLY BY THE OWNER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.