Accident Overview
A non-scheduled passenger flight carrying one pilot and one passenger experienced a dual engine failure during the third leg of a four-leg trip. Approximately 13 minutes after departure, the pilot notified air traffic control that the airplane was "fuel critical" and requested vectors to the nearest airport, about 7 miles away. Shortly thereafter, both engines lost total power, and the pilot executed a forced landing on a street roughly 2 miles from the intended airport. During the landing, the airplane collided with two vehicles.
Examination and Findings
Post-accident examination revealed substantial damage to the fuel tanks, with evidence of a small fire near the left wingtip fuel tank. Both fuel selectors were found positioned to the main (wingtip) tank settings. Fuel consumption calculations indicated that the airplane had used approximately 100 gallons of fuel since its most recent refueling—equal to the capacity of the main wingtip tanks. The total amount of fuel on board at departure could not be determined. However, had all tanks been full, about 63 gallons would have remained in the two auxiliary tanks at the time of the accident. Those auxiliary tanks were breached during the impact, and their remaining fuel quantity was not measured.
Engine Analysis
Examination of both engines found no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.
Official Probable Cause
The investigation determined the probable cause to be the pilot's mismanagement of the onboard fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation, a total loss of power to both engines, and a subsequent forced landing.