On February 6, 1998, a Piper PA-31-350 (registration N7678L) was involved in an aviation accident near Nome, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The engines stopped because the aircraft ran out of fuel. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot declared an emergency and performed a wheels-up landing on snow-covered terrain near Nome, Alaska, after both engines stopped due to fuel exhaustion.
What happened
While approaching its destination with nine passengers aboard, an aircraft declared an emergency because of impending fuel exhaustion. As the aircraft approached the coastline of the Bering Sea near Nome, Alaska, the pilot reported that both engines had stopped. The pilot managed to glide the airplane to shore, performing a wheels-up landing on terrain covered in ice and snow.
According to the pilot's report, he had intended to refuel at Nome before continuing to St. Michael. He noted that he became concerned about reaching his destination as fuel levels dropped. The aircraft's Hobbs meter showed that 4.2 hours had passed from the start of the flight until the engines stopped, though the pilot believed there had been 4.5 hours of fuel available at departure.
Probable cause
The engines stopped because the aircraft ran out of fuel.