Accident Overview
On March 14, 2014, at approximately 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 402B, registration N419AR, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Witham Field Airport in Stuart, Florida. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant and operator, sustained minor injuries. The flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, departed from St. Lucie County International Airport (FPR) in Fort Pierce, Florida, at 1705. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, prior to departure he checked the fuel gauges and estimated 28 gallons of fuel onboard, which he calculated would provide 1 hour of flight time. He did not visually inspect the fuel tanks. During the approach to Stuart, air traffic control instructed the pilot to enter a 2-mile left base, then later to intercept a 6-mile final. The pilot stated he was unaware of a fuel shortage at that time.
After turning final and configuring for landing, approximately 1.5 miles from the runway, the left engine quit. The pilot decided not to feather the propeller (citing a 6-second process) and instead turned the left fuel valve to the left inboard tank, restarting the engine. Shortly after, the right engine quit. While attempting to switch the right fuel valve to the right inboard tank, the left engine quit again. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field, impacting a tree before colliding with the ground. The impact caused substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Upon exiting, the pilot observed that a section of the right wing was inverted and fuel was leaking from the right vent.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector arrived at the scene approximately 3.5 hours after the accident and reported no fuel odor and no evidence of fuel leakage. A law enforcement officer stated that fire department personnel had not applied foam because no fuel was leaking. Examination of the engines revealed external damage preventing an operational run; however, hand rotation confirmed valve train continuity, cylinder compression, and spark on all ignition leads. An inspection of the aircraft systems found no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left wing tanks were empty of fuel, while the right wing was separated from the fuselage and its tanks, though breached, showed no evidence of fuel.
Pilot's Account
In a written statement, the pilot indicated that the airplane had been topped off with fuel the night before the accident. On the day of the accident, he flew several short flights before the accident flight. He calculated the remaining fuel endurance by subtracting the flight times of these previous flights from the full-fuel endurance, arriving at an estimate of 2 hours and 23 minutes of fuel remaining. He described the approaches and taxiing for each flight, noting that he taxied to the ramp at each destination to pick up or drop off friends.