Incident Details
A pilot filed an IFR flight plan with an estimated time en route of 2 hours 40 minutes. Due to a departure delay, the pilot instead departed under VFR and opened a VFR flight plan. During the flight, strong headwinds were encountered. Additionally, clouds forced altitude and course deviations to maintain VFR conditions. The total flight time was 3 hours 33 minutes.
While on final approach, the left engine lost power and the right engine began surging. The aircraft, facing a 20-knot headwind, landed hard short of the runway, causing the landing gear to collapse.
Investigation
The investigation determined that the power loss was due to fuel starvation. All fuel gauges were found to be erroneous; after draining residual fuel of 1-2 gallons, the main tank gauges still indicated 50 and 100 pounds remaining. The auxiliary tanks were nearly full, and a 20-gallon locker tank was full. The pilot stated that the flight was conducted using the main tanks except for 30-40 minutes en route when auxiliary tanks were used.
Weight and balance records indicated an initial fuel load of 100 gallons, but the pilot had ordered a top-off, which would have been 180 gallons. The discrepancy contributed to the fuel starvation.