Cessna 210 · NTSB accident record

Zero Fuel Pressure Over the FieldWPR23LA197

The engine quits directly above Redding. The airport is right below you — and 4,000 feet down.

Date
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Time
~9:00 AM PDT
Weather
VMC · clear · 10 SM · wind 160 at 3 kt · 72°F
Location
Over Redding Regional (KRDD), CA — Runway 34
Age
65
Hours in type (Cessna 210)
194 hrs
Hours, last 90 days
10 hrs
Today's leg
SLESalem, OR
WLWWillows, CA
Aircraft
Model
Cessna 210 (retractable)
Engine
Continental IO-470-E, 260 hp, fuel-injected
Fuel aboard
Over 20 gallons in each tank
Cruise

A clear afternoon, ten miles visibility, light winds. You're at 7,500 ft MSL over Redding Regional (RDD), talking to Oakland Center, en route from Salem to Willows.

Power loss

The engine loses power. You run the emergency restart procedure and read the fuel pressure at zero.

What you see
Fuel pressure
Zero
Engine
Will not restart
Propeller
Windmilling
Aux fuel pump
Cycling brings brief surges
Overhead the field

RDD sits directly below you. You have altitude, and Oakland Center already has you. You turn back toward runway 34.

By the numbers
687
fuel-starvation accidents
46
a year
87%
were survivable
118
lives lost in them
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NTSB accidents, 2011–2025
The decision

You have altitude over the airport and an engine that won't run. How do you fly it to runway 34?