Accident Narrative
According to the pilot, during a flight, both engines ceased operation due to fuel exhaustion while the aircraft was on an extended downwind leg. The subsequent landing roll occurred on a canal, during which the right wing collided with an object. The flight had departed from a private airport after enplaning two passengers, then landed at another airport to file an international VFR flight plan before continuing. The en route portion was uneventful until the engine failure.
Aircraft Examination
Examination of the aircraft revealed a placard on the underside of the main fuel tank filler cover door. The placard stated that to obtain maximum fuel capacity, the aircraft must be approximately level with the landing gears equally extended, and a nonvented fuel cap must be tightened securely. The owner's handbook specified that the landing gear struts should be extended 2 3/4 inches under static load.
Fueling Procedure
The pilot stated that when the fuel tanks were topped off, the nose gear strut was "slightly extended," which was verified by visual inspection and the fuel gauges. The pilot further estimated that the fuel capacity was 7.7 gallons short after the refueling. The discrepancy between the actual fuel quantity and the expected maximum capacity is attributed to the aircraft not being level during fueling due to the uneven strut extension.