Cessna P210 accident near Delaware, Ohio, August 26, 2018
On August 26, 2018 at about 8:34 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna P210, registered N4842K, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Delaware, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction of the formation flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2018 · about 8:34 pm local time
- Place
- Delaware, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210 N, built 1979 · all P210s on the register
- Registration
- N4842K · registry record · serial P21000343
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the airport to rejoin and fly in formation with a vintage airplane. After the airplane rejoined the formation, the engine lost total power; the pilot made a forced landing, during which the airplane nosed over and sustained damage to the vertical stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal flight operations. Downloaded engine data revealed a rapid drop of fuel flow and decrease in engine rpm that were consistent with fuel starvation. The pilot attributed the power loss to "running the right tank out of fuel" after not switching the fuel selector from right to left fuel tank, as he had initially planned, during the flight. The pilot stated the high engine power setting he used to rejoin with the vintage airplane was a fuel planning consideration for which he had not accounted and that his preflight and in-flight fuel planning routines were rushed because of his desire to rejoin the formation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,626 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 4,540 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 20, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,683 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO520 (piston); 3,683 hours total
- Operator: Juliet Echo Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: PHD New Philadelphia OH at 7:56 pm
- Destination: I74 Urbana OH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:16 pm from KDLZ, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 31, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Chart of Engine Data from Accident Flight | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Engine Data File from Accident Flight | data file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.