Event DEN01LA022

Factual narrative

On December 13, 2000, approximately 1415 mountain standard time, a Cessna 210C, N969RJ, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing at Boulder, Colorado. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the ferry flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight had originated from the Boulder Municipal Airport immediately prior to the accident. The airplane had sat dormant for almost 8 years, and extensive checks and servicing were performed to prepare it for the ferry flight to Centennial Airport where it was scheduled to undergo an annual inspection. FAA issued a ferry permit. According to the pilot's accident report, the airplane was parked in a heated hangar the night before the ferry flight. When he preflighted the airplane the next morning, "a little water" was found in the gascolator and only "a tiny amount" was found in the right wing sump. He chose not to have the fuel drained and the airplane serviced with fresh fuel. He later told a local newspaper that he had drained the fuel system and thought he had removed all the water, "but apparently it was not enough." The pilot was unsuccessful in trying to start the engine. After it was preheated, the engine started. He performed "an extended time warm up and extended pretakeoff run-up. All things were normal." The pilot took off on runway 8L. As he was climbing through 350 to 400 feet agl, the engine lost "complete power." He enriched the mixture and turned the auxiliary fuel pump first to LOW, then to HIGH. Power returned momentarily, then the engine quit again. The pilot did not have a chance to switch fuel tanks, but concentrated instead on the forced landing. The airplane "skimmed the tops of hills, went through a fence, nosed over, and tumbled 2 or 3 times." The propeller separated from the engine, which was torn from the airframe, the vertical stabilizer was crushed, and both wings were bent. On February 8, 2001, the airplane and engine were examined at Beegles Aircraft Services in Greeley, Colorado. A Teledyne Continental Motors representative removed the top of the fuel manifold, but was unable to dislodge the plunger. It was eventually forced out with a screwdriver. Ice had locked the plunger in position, and ice was noted in the chamber under the screen. The airplane had sat dormant for almost 8 years, and extensive checks and servicing were performed to prepare it for a ferry flight to a nearby airport where it was scheduled to undergo an annual inspection. FAA issued a ferry permit. The airplane was placed in a heated hangar the night before the flight. When the pilot preflighted the airplane the next morning, 'a little water' was found in the gascolator and 'a tiny amount' was found in the right wing sump. He chose not to have the fuel drained and the airplane serviced with fresh fuel. He later told a local newspaper that he had drained the fuel system and thought he had removed all the water, 'but apparently it was not enough.' He was unsuccessful in trying to start the engine. After it was preheated, the engine started, and he performed 'an extended time warm up and extended pretakeoff run-up.' Shortly after taking off, the engine lost 'complete power.' The pilot enriched the mixture and turned the auxiliary fuel pump first to LOW, then to HIGH. Power returned momentarily, then the engine lost power again. The pilot did not have a chance to switch fuel tanks, but concentrated instead on the forced landing. The airplane 'skimmed the tops of hills, went through a fence, nosed over, and tumbled 2 or 3 times.' Later examination of the engine disclosed the plunger in the fuel manifold was frozen in position, and there was ice in the chamber under the screen. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12