37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 829203 |
Time | |
Date | 200903 |
Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | GSP.Airport |
State Reference | SC |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | IMC |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Make Model Name | Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C 210D |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
Flight Phase | Cruise |
Flight Plan | IFR |
Component | |
Aircraft Component | Fuel Quantity-Pressure Indication |
Person 1 | |
Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 12 Flight Crew Total 8600 Flight Crew Type 400 |
Events | |
Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
While enroute at 9;000 ft; we experienced a power failure. Unable to maintain assigned altitude; I switched fuel tanks; selected full rich mixture and informed center of my inability to maintain altitude and a desire to be vectored to the nearest airport. He gave me a vector and then handed me off to greer approach. Greer approach frequency was busy; so while waiting for a chance to transmit; I rechecked my procedures and turned on the electric boost pumps. The engine came up to full power and we leveled off at 7;000 ft altitude. Suspecting an engine driven fuel pump failure; I left the electric pump on its low setting; contacted greer approach; and informed them we were under power again. They asked what we wanted to do; and I informed them that we would continue to the destination airport; columbia; sc; which was approximately 75 miles away. I chose this action due to the fact that I only had approach charts for origin and destination airports and knew the weather to be IFR in the area. We continued without incident and landed. We had a mechanic check into the condition of the plane and determined that the left fuel tank was empty; although the left fuel gauge showed more than half a tank. There was no problem with the engine driven fuel pump. I refueled and visually checked that both tanks were topped off and the fuel gauges showed full on both tanks. Knowing the left fuel gauge worked properly for the top 1/3 portion of the tank and the right gauge worked properly I elected to return home to have the gauge repaired. I made certain to time the flight and fuel burn rates.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Cessna 210 suffers engine failure due to fuel starvation when fuel gauge indicated half full although actually empty. A tank change and activation of the electronic fuel pump restarted the engine.
Narrative: While enroute at 9;000 FT; we experienced a power failure. Unable to maintain assigned altitude; I switched fuel tanks; selected full rich mixture and informed Center of my inability to maintain altitude and a desire to be vectored to the nearest airport. He gave me a vector and then handed me off to Greer Approach. Greer Approach frequency was busy; so while waiting for a chance to transmit; I rechecked my procedures and turned on the electric boost pumps. The engine came up to full power and we leveled off at 7;000 FT altitude. Suspecting an engine driven fuel pump failure; I left the electric pump on its low setting; contacted Greer Approach; and informed them we were under power again. They asked what we wanted to do; and I informed them that we would continue to the destination airport; Columbia; SC; which was approximately 75 miles away. I chose this action due to the fact that I only had approach charts for origin and destination airports and knew the weather to be IFR in the area. We continued without incident and landed. We had a Mechanic check into the condition of the plane and determined that the left fuel tank was empty; although the left fuel gauge showed more than half a tank. There was no problem with the engine driven fuel pump. I refueled and visually checked that both tanks were topped off and the fuel gauges showed full on both tanks. Knowing the left fuel gauge worked properly for the top 1/3 portion of the tank and the right gauge worked properly I elected to return home to have the gauge repaired. I made certain to time the flight and fuel burn rates.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.