Accident Overview
The twin-engine airplane departed controlled flight and impacted terrain during a landing attempt. The pilot reported that while landing, the airplane experienced an uncommanded right roll after he advanced engine power to arrest the airplane's descent rate. The pilot attempted a go-around by adding engine power; however, this exacerbated the airplane's right turning tendency. He then reduced power on both engines and attempted to bring the airplane back to a level attitude using left rudder and aileron. The airplane impacted the terrain in a right wing down, nose low attitude.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that as a habit, he would normally have switched the fuel selectors from the auxiliary tanks back to the main tanks prior to landing. He reported using the auxiliary fuel tanks during cruise flight but did not recall if he had switched back to the main tanks before landing. After the accident, the pilot reportedly turned the fuel selectors to the off position.
Post-Accident Examination
No anomalies were found with the flight control system during the post-accident examination. Inspection of the propellers indicated that at impact, the left engine was producing significantly more power than the right engine. The right engine was test run and no anomalies were noted with its operation. All four fuel tanks were found damaged and/or ruptured, which prevented the post-accident determination of the fuel quantity and its distribution. The airplane was fully fueled with 163 gallons prior to departing on the 2.5-hour flight. The flight's total fuel burn was approximately 75 gallons, based on an average fuel burn of 30 gallons per hour.
Fuel System Considerations
The auxiliary fuel tanks hold a total of 63 gallons of fuel; however, pilots should only expect one hour of operation from the tanks because the engine recovery fuel is returned to the main tanks, not the auxiliary tanks. The engine manufacturer reports that up to 31.66 gallons per hour of fuel is recovered into the two main tanks. The Cessna 310R Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) recommends that the engines be operated on their respective main tanks for the first 90 minutes of a flight to allow ample space in the tanks to accept the recovery fuel from operating on the auxiliary tanks. The POH specifically states that all takeoffs and landings should be made with the fuel selectors positioned on their respective main fuel tanks.