What happened
Shortly after departing on its flight, the pilot notified Air Traffic Control that the aircraft was experiencing a problem. In response to the emergency, ATC cleared the pilot to land on any available runway. The pilot communicated that they did not believe they could reach the airport, noting that the highway was visible below the aircraft.
The aircraft subsequently landed at an angle across the southbound lanes of Interstate Highway I-95. During the descent and impact, the plane struck a guard rail and the center cement barriers. There were no injuries reported in this incident.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage focused on the fuel system. Investigators found that the fuel selector was positioned to the left main fuel tank. Upon inspection of the fuel components, pieces of ice were recovered from the left main fuel tank, the fuel selector valve, and the fuel strainer sediment bowl.
Records indicated that the aircraft had last been refueled on October 27, 1991, with 53.9 gallons of 100 octane fuel. No records were found to suggest the aircraft had been operated since that refueling date.