Accident Overview
A commuter aircraft on the final leg of a scheduled flight crashed in a heavily wooded area while conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) approach to Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska. The captain and the sole passenger were killed in the crash. The airplane struck the ground upside-down in a near-vertical attitude.
Flight History
The flight was the last leg of a scheduled commuter route. The airplane's copilot, who had deplaned minutes before the accident flight, reported that he did not observe the captain select or use the aircraft's auxiliary fuel tanks at any point during the evening's earlier flights.
Fuel System and Consumption
The aircraft's main fuel tanks have a usable capacity of 100 gallons. Investigators estimated that the airplane had consumed slightly more than 100 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. Sufficient fuel remained in the auxiliary tanks, but the engine cannot be readily restarted if the auxiliary tanks are not selected before the engine quits.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident involved multiple occurrences. The first occurrence was a total loss of engine power due to non-mechanical reasons, specifically fuel starvation, attributed to the pilot in command's inattentiveness and improper in-flight planning and decision-making. This led to a forced landing, during which the pilot lost control because airspeed and directional control were not maintained. The final occurrence was an uncontrolled descent resulting in collision with terrain.