Event WPR10CA401

Factual narrative

The pilot performed a preflight inspection for the cross-country flight, which included checking the fuel tanks. He used a calibrated stick, and determined that he had 15 gallons in the right fuel tank and 10 gallons in the left fuel tank; he flew the majority of the flight with the right fuel tank selected. Upon reaching the destination airport, as he was switching from the right fuel tank position to the BOTH position, the engine surged. As the pilot made a left turn onto base, he noted that the airplane was slightly high so he initiated a left slip to lose altitude. When he leveled the airplane, the engine began to surge as if it were out of fuel. The pilot reported that he tried to maintain engine power by “pumping the throttle but was unable to get any power.” The pilot stated that he was not going to make the runway, so he made a forced landing on a dirt path. The airplane landed hard and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. Also, his statement noted that he should have been at the correct airspeed for the approach, which would have made it unnecessary to slip the airplane, and that he should not have slipped the airplane to the left in order to keep fuel available to the engine. The pilot performed a preflight inspection for the cross-country flight, which included checking the fuel tanks. He used a calibrated stick and determined that he had 15 gallons in the right fuel tank and 10 gallons in the left fuel tank; he flew the majority of the flight with the right fuel tank selected. Upon reaching the destination airport, as he was switching from the right fuel tank position to the "BOTH" position, the engine surged. As the pilot made a left turn onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, he noted that the airplane was slightly high. He initiated a left slip to lose altitude. When he leveled the airplane, the engine began to surge as if it were out of fuel. The pilot reported that he tried to maintain engine power by pumping the throttle back and forth, but was unable to retain power. Determining that he would not be able to maneuver the airplane to the runway, the pilot opted to perform a forced landing on a dirt path. The airplane landed hard and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. Cessna issued guidance to pilots not to perform slips with less than 1/4 tank of fuel; however, the guidance was issued after the airplane's handbook was published. The pilot further stated that if he had maintained a correct airspeed for the approach, it would not have been necessary for him to maneuver the airplane in a slip. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Not specified - C
• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Incorrect use/operation - C