Accident Details
On March 10, 2012, about 1925 Pacific standard time, a Beech 76, registration N6697L, experienced a dual engine power loss and subsequently made a forced landing near Rio Linda, California. The airline transport pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country trip. The airplane had departed Visalia, California, around 1810, with an intended destination of McClellan Airfield, Sacramento, California. No flight plan was filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot reported that while descending from a cruise altitude of 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl), he lowered the landing gear and reduced power on both engines to 18 inches of manifold pressure. When the airplane reached approximately 1,200 feet msl, the left engine lost power. The pilot advanced the power, propeller, and mixture controls to full forward and was about to feather the left propeller when the engine briefly regained power for a couple of seconds, after which both engines lost power. The pilot selected a dark area on the ground and executed a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane struck a ditch and a fence. The right wing separated from the fuselage, and the fuselage and left wing sustained bending and wrinkling.
Post-Accident Examination
Local fire department personnel who responded to the accident site reported that the right wing fuel tank was breached, and approximately 5 gallons of fluid flowed out. A law enforcement officer removed the left wing fuel tank cap, looked inside, and could not see any fuel. Photographs taken by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors the day after the accident showed damage to the left wing consistent with a breach of the left wing fuel tank. The left wing was displaced from the fuselage and tilted with the wing tip raised above its normal position, precluding an accurate fuel quantity determination via the filler opening.
On May 15, 2012, an FAA inspector examined the airplane's engines. The examination found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal engine operation.
Weather Considerations
At 1915, McClellan Airfield, located 4 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, reported a temperature of 52°F and a dew point of 45°F. According to the carburetor icing probability chart from DOT/FAA/CT-82/44 (Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/Effectiveness, June 1982), these conditions indicate a probability of serious icing at cruise and glide power settings. The pilot stated that he believed "the only cause to lose both engines within a few seconds could be carburetor icing." The pilot did not report applying carburetor heat during the descent or after the loss of engine power.