Cessna T210 - F accident near Oceanside, California, November 17, 2013
On November 17, 2013 at about 6:30 am local time, a 1966 Cessna T210 - F, registered N6186R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Oceanside, California (Mcas Camp Pendleton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to determine the actual onboard fuel quantity before beginning the flight, which resulted in a complete loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's habitual reliance solely on the cockpit fuel flow/totalizer unit to determine fuel quantity rather than measuring the actual amount.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2013 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Oceanside, California · Mcas Camp Pendleton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210 - F, built 1966 · all T210 - Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6186R · no longer on the register · serial T210-0086
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the morning of the accident, the owner/pilot determined that the airplane had about 18 (out of a total capacity of 65) gallons of fuel on board by referring to the installed fuel totalizer, which calculated the fuel remaining using a pilot-entered initial fuel quantity and a sensed fuel flow rate. As was his habit, he relied solely on the fuel totalizer indication and did not verify fuel quantity by looking in or "sticking" the fuel tanks or using the airplane's fuel quantity gauges. The pilot, with one passenger onboard flew to an airport about 20 miles away to pick up another passenger and then flew to a third airport about 26 miles away, where the pilot purchased about 15 to 20 gallons of fuel. The pilot and passengers then flew to and landed at three other airports, with a cumulative straight-line distance of about 110 additional miles. Although it was available, no fuel was purchased at any of the three airports. After dark, the pilot and passengers departed for the home airport about 100 miles away. About 15 minutes after takeoff, when the airplane was at an altitude of about 3,500 ft, the engine "sputtered," and the pilot determined that the right tank was empty. He switched to the left tank, which he believed contained about 18 gallons of fuel. Shortly thereafter, the engine sustained a complete loss of power. The pilot turned the airplane toward the nearest GPS-indicated airport, which was a military facility. Although he attempted to contact air traffic control tower personnel, the tower was not operating at the time. The runway lights came on while the airplane was still airborne but too late to allow the pilot to align the airplane with the runway. The airplane touched down on a ramp area, crossed into an unpaved area, and struck a berm. Postaccident examination recovered a total of about 2.5 gallons of fuel from the undamaged fuel tanks; the manufacturer's information indicated that each of the two fuel tanks had an unusable fuel quantity of 2.5 gallons. Using the pilot's estimates of the fuel on board at the beginning of the day and the fuel purchased en route, the pilot had flown at least 250 miles and conducted 6 takeoffs on 33 to 38 gallons of fuel. Review of the airplane manufacturer's performance data indicated that a minimum of about 36 to 40 gallons would have been required and that the actual required quantity could have been significantly greater than that, depending on power settings, engine leaning, and actual flight times and distances.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,759 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 2013; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 5,055 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE San Diego CA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: HHR Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 2995°F (1646°C)
- Observation at 5:54 am from NFG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N6186R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.