Incident Overview
A commercial pilot began her duty day by making three flights in another company airplane. Six minutes after parking that airplane, she switched to the accident airplane and departed on a round-robin flight that included four takeoffs and three landings. Approximately eight minutes after the last takeoff, she declared an emergency and reported a loss of engine power.
Sequence of Events
Ground witnesses and the front seat passenger heard the engine stop, restart momentarily, and stop again. The pilot initiated an emergency landing approach to a remote island beach. While maneuvering for landing, she banked sharply to the right, causing the airplane to stall at low altitude. The airplane collided with the ground in a right wing and nose low attitude.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the crash site and found the fuel selector positioned on the left fuel tank. The right wing fuel tank system had been breached, while the left fuel tank system was intact and contained approximately half a gallon of fuel. The engine fuel manifold contained only a drop of fuel. The engine was subsequently placed on an engine test stand, where it produced full rated rpm without issues.
Fuel Management Issues
The accident airplane had been flown the previous day by another company pilot for about 72 to 90 minutes and then parked; the amount of fuel remaining at that time is unknown. A company ramp employee observed the pilot with a fuel hose at the accident airplane, but the amount of fuel, if any, added is unknown, and the observation occurred 23 minutes before the pilot's time sheet indicated she landed the first airplane. Consequently, the amount of fuel on board at departure is unknown. The company does not require pilots to log the amount of fuel placed in each airplane before each flight.
Probable Cause
Based on the lack of fuel in the left wing tank, the position of the fuel selector, and the absence of any mechanical problems with the engine, it is probable that the pilot inadvertently allowed the left tank to run dry and was unable to restart the engine prior to the emergency landing. During the emergency landing, she allowed the airspeed to decay and stalled the airplane, adding to the severity of the crash.