Pilot Failure to Transfer Fuel Causes Power Loss in King Air (N58KA)

Event Description

During the flight, both engines experienced a loss of power. The cause was fuel starvation: the engines were not receiving fuel because the nacelle tanks were empty. The aircraft's engines are directly fed from the nacelle tanks, which are replenished by transferring fuel from the wing tanks via dedicated switches in the cockpit. The pilots failed to operate these switches, leading to the fuel starvation condition.

Pilot Qualifications

The pilot in command had accumulated only 16 total hours of flight time in the King Air and had not attended any ground school for that aircraft type. The pilot seated in the left seat had recently obtained his multiengine rating and was on the flight to gain additional flight time. This pilot had no prior flight experience in the King Air and had not received any formal training on the aircraft's systems.