What happened
During the third flight of the day, a twin-engine aircraft was on final approach for landing after approximately 20 minutes of flight. While descending toward the airport, the aircraft suffered a simultaneous loss of power in both engines. The pilot-in-command was forced to execute an emergency landing into a wooded area located roughly half a mile from the airfield.
Following the impact, an inspection of the cockpit revealed that the left and right boost pumps, as well as the left and right transfer pumps, were set to the OFF position. The pilot reported that after exiting the aircraft, they returned to the cockpit and deactivated the fuel panel. The fuel quantity indicator toggle switch was found in the TOTAL position.
Findings
An investigation of the fuel system showed that the right wing tanks, both engine nacelle tanks, and both wing center section tanks remained intact. While the left wing tanks were damaged during the crash, investigators found no evidence of a fuel leak. Approximately 27 gallons of fuel remained in each of the wing center tanks. Testing with battery power confirmed that the fuel transfer pumps were capable of moving fuel from the center tanks to the nacelle tanks.
According to the aircraft flight manual, the engine nacelle tanks receive fuel from the center section tanks via transfer pumps, while the outboard wing tanks feed the center section via gravity. The investigation noted that the fuel transfer pumps were in the OFF position, which prevented the necessary fuel flow to the engines. Flight logs indicated that 750 lbs of fuel were on board at takeoff, and while gravity feed can move some fuel, the inoperative pumps prevented the full supply from reaching the engines.