Incident Overview
During a landing approach, the pilot of a twin-engine aircraft reported that the left engine failed while turning final. In response, the pilot switched the left engine's fuel supply from the left main tank to the left auxiliary tank. The engine briefly restarted but then failed again. Subsequently, the right engine, which was running on the right main tank, also quit.
Forced Landing and Damage
The aircraft executed a forced landing short of the runway. Upon touchdown, the nose gear collapsed.
Fuel State Analysis
Post-incident examination revealed that both left fuel tanks were empty. The right main tank contained 19 gallons of fuel, and the right auxiliary tank held 4 gallons.
Fuel Management Conclusions
According to the pilot's account of fuel management, it was determined that the left tanks could not have both run dry simultaneously. For the left engine to have been operating, it would have needed to draw from either the left main or left auxiliary tank. The right engine, if using the crossfeed system, would have been supplied from the left main tank. Under this configuration, when the left tanks became exhausted, both engines would have ceased running.