What happened
On March 28, 2012, a Beech E-55 (registration N1567W) was on approach to Broken Bow Municipal Airport (BBW) in Nebraska when it impacted terrain, resulting in 1 fatality and 1 serious injury.
The flight originated from Dickinson – Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK) with an intended destination of Russell Municipal Airport (RSL) in Kansas. During the cruise phase, the pilot noticed a fuel imbalance between the left and right main tanks. To rectify this, the pilot placed the left fuel selector in the crossfeed position. Approximately 15 minutes later, the right engine lost power, followed shortly by the left engine. The pilot was able to restore power to the left engine by resetting the fuel selector to the left main tank, but the right engine continued to surge.
While attempting a landing at BBW, the pilot deployed landing gear and approach flaps. During the final approach, approximately 90 and 1/2 mile from the runway threshold, the right engine lost power completely. As the aircraft drifted right of the runway centerline, the pilot reduced power on the left engine to maintain control. The aircraft struck an open field approximately 455 feet west-southwest of the runway 14 threshold, and the wreckage subsequently caught fire.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the engines. A partial teardown of the left engine showed no preimpact anomalies. An operational test of the right engine under NTSB supervision showed the engine operated smoothly through the full throttle range. The fuel selector valves showed thermal damage from the postimpact fire but no mechanical failures.
Analysis of the fuel system revealed that the aircraft's operating handbook prohibited using the crossfeed system to balance fuel levels. Calculations indicated that approximately 34.3 gallons had been consumed from the right main tank and 30.0 gallons from the left main tank. The investigation determined that the simultaneous loss of power while both engines were drawing from a single tank, combined with the restoration of power to only one engine after switching selectors, was consistent with fuel exhaustion in the right main tank.