Flight Details
The pilot departed Destin, Florida, for Quincy, Illinois, with 122 gallons of fuel. The two inboard wing fuel tanks, each with a 36-gallon capacity, were filled completely before departure. To remain below the maximum gross weight, the two outboard wing fuel tanks were partially filled with 25 gallons each.
Engine Operations
During engine startup, taxi, takeoff, and climb to the initial cruise altitude assigned by air traffic control, the pilot used fuel from the inboard tanks. After reaching cruise altitude, he switched to the outboard tanks and leaned the mixture for optimal fuel consumption. Approximately 2 hours into the flight, after the engines had consumed the usable fuel in the outboard tanks, the pilot switched back to the inboard tanks.
Loss of Engine Power
While descending through 3,500 feet mean sea level about 7 miles from the destination airport, the right engine lost total power. The pilot feathered the right propeller and secured the engine, then continued toward the intended destination. Shortly thereafter, the left engine also lost total power; the pilot feathered the propeller and secured that engine as well.
Forced Landing and Landing Gear Extension
The pilot selected a harvested soybean field for an emergency landing. He delayed extending the landing gear until after clearing a row of trees bordering the field. After clearing the trees, he moved the landing gear selector handle to the down position, but because the left engine was inoperative, the engine-driven hydraulic pump could not provide normal extension. The pilot then attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency hand-pump, but the airplane impacted the terrain before the gear was fully extended.
Damage and Postaccident Examination
Upon contact with the ground, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination revealed that the inboard and outboard fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. The pilot reported the flight duration was about 4 hours 20 minutes and confirmed that fuel exhaustion caused both engines to lose power. He stated that before departure he estimated a fuel requirement of 118 gallons, expecting 4 gallons to remain after landing, but acknowledged that he failed to account for the 6.8 gallons of unusable fuel within the system.
Emergency Gear Extension Options
The airplane was equipped with an emergency carbon-dioxide blowdown system that could have been used to rapidly extend the landing gear, instead of the more laborious emergency hand-pump. The pilot did not provide an explanation for choosing the hand-pump over the CO2 system.