N30286Cessna T210L · 1973

On June 14, 2021, about 0700 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T210L, N30286, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Buena Vista, Colorado. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and the pilot-rated passenger was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that, while the airplane was flying over mountains and near the destination airport, the engine temperature and fuel flow gauges “dropped” immediately, and the engine lost partial power. The pilot reported that the power loss felt as if someone had retarded the throttle, so he “instantly” pushed the throttle in and turned on the auxiliary fuel pump to the “high” position. These actions had no effect on the engine, so the pilot tried to restart the engine, including attempting a hot start, but was unable to do so. The pilot located a flat, treeless area for a forced landing. During the forced landing the landing gear separated, and the airplane came to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage, firewall, and left outboard wing.

A postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine-driven fuel pump showed that one of the pump’s two carbon vanes had fractured in half. No debris was found in the pump housing. No other preaccident failures or malfunctions were found that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine.

According to the engine manufacturer, operation of the pump with a severed vane would likely cause fuel cavitation, which would cause a drop in pump outlet pressure and could result in a gradual decrease in engine rpm.