What happened
On May 21, 2000, an on-demand charter flight operated by East Coast Aviation Services was traveling from Atlantic City International Airport to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. The aircraft, a British Aerospace Jetstream 310 with registration N16EJ, was conducting an instrument flight rules (IFR) approach to runway 4 when the crew declared an emergency.
During the approach, the pilot reported an engine failure at approximately 1123 EDT. Shortly thereafter, the crew notified air traffic controllers that they had lost both engines. Radar data showed the aircraft descending through 3,000 feet while the crew attempted to navigate back toward the airport. The captain later indicated that the left engine appeared to have regained power briefly, but the aircraft continued to descend to 2,000 feet over trees. At 1127 EDT, the pilot reported that both engines were failing again. Following this transmission, all radio contact was lost.
The aircraft crashed approximately 11 miles south of the airport, resulting in 19 fatalities (comprising 17 passengers and two crewmembers) and the total destruction of the plane due to impact and fire.
Findings
Investigation into the accident determined that the primary cause was the flight crew's failure to maintain an adequate fuel supply for the mission. This lack of fuel led to the right engine stopping because of fuel exhaustion, while the left engine experienced intermittent stoppages due to fuel starvation. The crew also failed to properly monitor the aircraft's fuel levels and struggled to maintain directional control once the first engine failed.