Incident Overview
The pilot of a multi-engine airplane reported that he began the flight with 160 gallons of fuel on board. The airplane was equipped with five fuel tanks: two main wingtip tanks, two in-wing auxiliary tanks, and one engine nacelle locker tank. His normal fuel management procedure was to operate for 50 minutes using fuel from the main tanks, then consume most of the fuel in the auxiliary tanks, and finally transfer fuel from the locker tank to use all of that fuel.
Sequence of Events
While approaching the destination airport, the pilot attempted to transfer fuel from the engine nacelle locker tank. He later noticed that fuel was not transferring from that tank. Shortly thereafter, the right engine lost all power, followed by the left engine. With both engines inoperative, the pilot conducted a ditching in the ocean approximately 17 miles from the destination airport. The airplane landed on the water, and the pilot and his passengers donned life vests and egressed before the airplane sank. The occupants were rescued about four hours later.
Damage and Investigation
The airplane was not recovered from the ocean and was presumed substantially damaged. Due to the lack of recovery, a postaccident examination of the fuel system could not be performed. Consequently, the reason for the pilot's inability to transfer fuel from the engine nacelle locker tank could not be determined.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was a fuel system malfunction for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in fuel starvation to both engines.