What happened
On a flight originating from Óscar Machado Zuloaga International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela, a Beech King Air C90 was en route to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. The flight crew and two passengers were on board the aircraft, which was following a flight plan that included stops via Maiquetia and Bimini. While the flight plan indicated a destination of Fort Lauderdale, documentation recovered from the wreckage suggested the pilot intended to visit Nassau, Bahamas, for refueling.
After approximately six hours and six minutes of flight time, the aircraft struck a highway abutment roughly 1,700 feet before reaching the intended runway at Fort Lauderdale. The accident resulted in one fatality and two serious injuries among the pilot and passengers. At the time of the impact, the aircraft's fuel levels were critically low, with only an estimated 3 to 4 gallons of fuel remaining in the tanks.
Findings
An investigation into the engine factory service center disassembly revealed that the engines and all related components were in a state that would have allowed for normal operation prior to the crash. There were no identified malfunctions within the propellers or any other mechanical systems of the aircraft. The investigation highlighted that the remaining fuel was approximately equal to the aircraft's unusable fuel capacity of 3.6 gallons, indicating that the aircraft likely suffered from fuel exhaustion.