What happened
The pilot initially filed an instrument flight rules flight plan with an estimated time en route of two hours and forty minutes. Due to operational delays, the decision was made to depart under visual flight rules instead, and a VFR flight plan was opened. During the cruise portion of the trip, the aircraft encountered strong headwinds which significantly impacted ground speed. Additionally, cloud cover necessitated frequent deviations in both altitude and course to maintain visual meteorological conditions.
The estimated time en route extended to three hours and thirty-three minutes. As the aircraft approached the destination for final approach, the left engine lost power while the right engine began to surge, indicating a loss of thrust. The pilot attempted to land into a twenty-knot headwind but touched down hard short of the runway threshold. The impact forces were sufficient to collapse the landing gear.
The investigation
Post-acc examination revealed that the aircraft had suffered from fuel starvation. A physical inspection of the fuel system showed that all fuel quantity gauges were providing erroneous readings. After draining residual fuel, which amounted to only one or two gallons, the main tank gauges indicated that fifty and one hundred pounds of fuel remained, respectively.
However, the auxiliary tanks were found to be nearly full, and a twenty-gallon locker tank was also completely full. The pilot stated that the flight had been conducted primarily using the main tanks, with the auxiliary tanks utilized for only thirty to forty minutes during the en route phase. Weight and balance records indicated that one hundred gallons of fuel were loaded at departure, but the pilot confirmed having ordered a top-off, which should have resulted in one hundred eighty gallons being on board.
Findings
The discrepancy between the weight and balance records and the actual fuel load suggests a failure to verify the total quantity of fuel available. The reliance on faulty fuel gauges contributed to the miscalculation of remaining fuel reserves. The combination of strong headwinds, cloud deviations extending the flight time, and the erroneous indication of available fuel led to the exhaustion of usable fuel in the engines during the critical final approach phase.