Incident Overview
While operating on an IFR clearance, the pilot contacted approach control and reported an inability to maintain 4,000 feet msl, without providing a reason. Shortly thereafter, the pilot informed the controller that the right engine was experiencing fuel starvation and that the left engine had just quit. Radar data showed the aircraft at an altitude of 3,400 feet. When asked by the controller if the aircraft was completely without power, the pilot responded affirmatively, stating they were now gliding.
The controller provided instructions to the nearest airport, located approximately 4.5 nautical miles away. After descending through 2,100 feet, the pilot advised that they would be landing short. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane struck the top of a tree, crossed over a house, struck another tree, and then hit a telephone wire that crossed diagonally over a street. The aircraft then cleared a set of wires parallel to the street before impacting a private residence in a residential area. A fire erupted, damaging both the airplane and the residence.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the airframe and engines revealed no structural or mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Ten gallons of fuel were drained from the left locker tank, which supplements the left main fuel tank. Examination of the propellers determined that neither propeller had been feathered.
The probable cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot's mismanagement of fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to follow the checklist to feather the propellers in order to reduce drag.