Accident Details
On the morning of the accident, the aircraft departed Morgantown for a flight to Charleston. During the approach, while being vectored for the ILS, the copilot declared an emergency and announced a dual engine failure, with two souls onboard and zero fuel. The aircraft had been flown from Morgantown to Charleston the previous day to drop off passengers. At that time, the pilot contacted the mechanic to replace the right transfer pump; the pilot also reported that the right boost pump was inoperative. The mechanic stated he would replace both pumps the next morning, noting that de-fueling the aircraft would take longer than the pump replacements. The mechanic recalled that the pilot was concerned about the amount of time needed for the repair. After the conversation, the aircraft was repositioned to Morgantown for a scheduled flight the next day to Charleston.
Investigation
Examination of the wreckage and both engines revealed no pre-impact failures or malfunctions. With the right transfer pump inoperative, 28 gallons of fuel in the right wing would be unusable. Additionally, the flight manual states that both boost pumps must be operable prior to takeoff. The aircraft operated with known deficiencies—the inoperative right transfer pump and right boost pump—and the pilot expressed concern about completing maintenance before the scheduled flight later that day.
Probable Cause
The probable cause is the pilot's inadequate management of the fuel system, which resulted in fuel starvation to both engines. Factors in the accident were the pilot's concern about maintenance being completed prior to executing a scheduled flight later in the day and operating the airplane with known deficiencies.