N7418ECessna 210 · 1960

On October 10, 2008, at 1715 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 210, N7418E, landed hard following a loss of engine power while on approach to runway 23 at the Placerville Airport (PVF), Placerville, California. The private pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed the Corona Municipal Airport (AJO), Corona, California, about 1440, for Placerville. No flight plan had been filed.

According to the pilot, he attempted to contact the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for traffic advisories to the airport at 10 miles out, and again at 5 miles out, with no response. Upon arriving at PVF, he overflew the airport at 4,000 feet to check the wind direction. He made a right-hand entry to the traffic pattern for runway 23. On downwind he lowered the gear and set up for landing. He was on a mile final with flaps at 30 degrees and the airspeed at 85 knots. He thought his approach was high about 1/2 mile out, so he initiated a forward slip to lose altitude; he returned to level flight about 200 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that he was still high and close to the runway threshold. He decided to go around and pushed the throttle full in; however, the engine did not respond. He checked the settings, reduced the throttle, and then pushed the throttle in again with no response.

The pilot reported that due to obstacles off the end of the runway, he decided to make a forced landing on the remaining last half of the runway. He told his passenger to brace for a hard landing and then pointed the nose toward the runway. He stated at that point the airplane's altitude was about 50 feet above the ground. When they were about 10 to 15 feet above the ground, he pitched up and landed flat on all three landing gear. The nose landing gear tire popped, and after applying brakes, collapsed. The propeller struck the ground stopping the engine. The pilot lifted his foot off the left brake, and the airplane slid off the runway to the right. The airplane slid about 40 feet before coming to a stop. The pilot noted damage to the front engine cowling, the nose landing gear, and the left wing spar.

A witness to the accident reported that he was standing at the opposite end of the runway when he saw the airplane enter the traffic pattern for runway 23 from the east. The witness indicated that the airplane was landing with a tailwind of about 8 to 10 knots. The airplane appeared to be too high on the approach, and appeared to be in a slip in an effort to lose altitude on final. The witness was able to hear the engine for a short period of time and it did not sound abnormal. From his position, the airplane appeared to touch down about halfway down the runway, and bounced 2 times. The next thing he saw was a large cloud of dust; when it finally cleared he saw the accident airplane’s tail in the air.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at Placerville Aviation. A visual examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks had not been breached during the accident. Maintenance personnel reported that they drained 9.6 gallons of fuel from the left fuel tank, and 15 gallons from the right fuel tank. Visual examination revealed no mechanical anomalies. Maintenance personnel removed the spark plugs, which appeared to be good condition, and fuel was found in the gascolator. An engine ground run was performed; the engine started normally, the magneto check was performed at 1,700 revolutions per minute (rpm) and a normal magneto drop was observed. The engine was then run at full power with no "hesitation or missing experienced."