NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX03LA014
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the pilot's failure to position the fuel selector to the tank containing fuel resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 21, 2002, at 1002 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 210C, N9788X, collided with terrain during a forced landing near Riverside, California. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; the remaining passenger sustained a serious injury. The airplane was substantially damaged. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the destination airport, and an instrument approach was in progress. The personal flight originated at Gallup, New Mexico, about 0645 mountain daylight time, and was destined for Ontario, California. The airplane lost engine power during the instrument approach into Ontario International Airport, and the pilot executed a forced landing on a hill about 5 miles east of the airport. According to flight planning information recovered from inside the airplane, it had departed Gallup with full fuel (63.5 useable gallons). The airplane had been airborne for about 3:17 hours at the time of the accident. Prior to disassembly of the airplane for recovery, the recovery agent drained the fuel tanks. The left tank contained about 13 gallons of a blue liquid with the odor of aviation gasoline. The right tank was empty.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument ratings. The pilot held a certified flight instructor certificate. Examination of limited flight logbook information revealed an approximate total flight time of 628 hours. Of that time, 206 hours were in the accident make and model. The logbook documented a total of 20 actual instrument flight hours. The pilot's most recent instrument proficiency check flight occurred on April 8, 2002, and he completed a biennial flight review on April 23, 2002.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
Examination of logbook records revealed that the last documented annual inspection occurred on April 25, 2002, at 5,009 total flight hours. The records also revealed non-compliance with the provisions of Federal Air Regulation's 91.413 (transponder) and 91.411 (static and altimeter system) required 24-month check.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
At 0953, the Ontario International Airport was reporting: wind calm; visibility 1 3/4 miles; sky condition overcast at 700 feet above ground level; temperature 14 degrees Celsius; dew point 12 degrees Celsius; and altimeter setting 29.94 inHg.
TESTS AND RESEARCH INFORMATION
The engine was shipped to the manufacturer, Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM), for examination, and test run in a formal test cell with Safety Board oversight. After removal from bond storage, and with normal preparation, technicians installed the engine into a test cell. There were no substitute parts installed for the test run. The engine started on the first attempt, and the test cell operator advanced the engine rpm to 1,200 rpm for warm-up in preparation for full power operation. The engine accelerated normally without any hesitation or interruption in power. The cell operator advanced the engine rpm to 2,625 rpm (full throttle). The operator advanced the engine to full throttle (2,625 rpm) from idle (600 rpm) several times. It performed normally without any hesitation or interruptions in power. The operation of the engine was normal with no abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Safety Board released the wreckage to the owner's representative. During the instrument approach the engine quit, and the pilot attempted a forced landing in hilly terrain and poor visibility. According to flight planning information recovered from inside the airplane, it had departed with full fuel (63.5 useable gallons). The airplane had been airborne for about 3:17 hours at the time of the accident. Prior to disassembly of the airplane for recovery, the recovery agent drained the fuel tanks. The left tank had about 13 gallons of blue liquid with the odor of aviation gasoline, and the right tank was empty. The manufacturer ran the engine in a test cell. It performed normally without any hesitation or interruptions in power from idle to full throttle. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2002_LAX03LA014.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, fuel exhaustion). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗