What happened
During a descent phase of flight, a Cessna 402C experienced a simultaneous loss of power in both engines while over the Atlantic Ocean. Following the engine failure, the pilot performed an emergency ditching in the ocean. The aircraft subsequently sank in water approximately 800 feet deep about five minutes after the landing.
The three people on board the aircraft managed to escape the wreckage without sustaining any injuries and were later rescued by a nearby vessel.
Findings
Investigations into the incident revealed that only about 26 pounds of fuel remained in the aircraft at the time of the accident. According to a representative from the Cessna Aircraft Company, the Cessna 402C has an unusable fuel capacity of 44.4 pounds when the aircraft is in critical flight attitudes, a figure that decreases during more stable flight conditions.
Official findings identified several contributing factors related to the pilot's actions and fuel management:
- Fuel exhaustion occurred due to improper calculations regarding consumption.
- The pilot failed to perform necessary refueling before the flight.
- An improper preflight inspection was conducted by the pilot in command.
- The loss of engine power was determined to be a nonmechanical event.