Accident Details
A commercial pilot, who was also the former owner of a twin-engine airplane, was repositioning the aircraft to an airport approximately 22 miles south of the departure airport. Shortly before the flight, the pilot purchased 10 gallons of fuel for each of the two main tanks. About 5 minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the pilot reported a "loss of engine power." However, his three separate accounts of the event were inconsistent regarding which engine had a problem or the specific nature of the issue. The pilot stated that the airplane began to lose altitude "rapidly" and that he attempted to "wag the wings" to make all fuel usable. The airplane subsequently struck a building and terrain about 8 miles south of the departure airport. The pilot sustained serious injuries, but no fire occurred.
Investigation Findings
Damage to the left engine and propeller was consistent with the engine running at impact, which precluded an attempt to run it in a test cell. Damage to the right engine and propeller was consistent with low or no power at impact, and that engine was successfully run in a test cell afterward. No evidence of any pre-accident anomalies that could have contributed to the accident was found with the airframe, engines, or propellers. The fuel selector valve placards did not accurately depict the fuel system configuration. The fuel quantity and its distribution in the tanks, either at the start of the flight or at the time of the accident, could not be determined.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was determined to be a partial loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to add only a limited amount of fuel prior to the flight, and the fuel selector valve placards' inaccurate depiction of the airplane fuel tank configuration.