What happened
During the climb phase of flight, the aircraft type experienced a complete loss of power in both engines. The pilot attempted an emergency wheels-up landing in an open field to mitigate the impact. Upon contact with the terrain, the aircraft sustained significant damage and was subsequently destroyed by fire.
Findings
The investigation determined that the engine failure was caused by the use of incorrect fuel grade. Specifically, the N8im had been refueled with Jet-A fuel instead of the required 100LL Avgas. This error occurred because a ground crew member utilized a Jet-A fuel truck that was visually nearly identical to the standard Avgas truck, differing only by a small decal.
Several contributing factors were identified regarding the fueling process:
- The ground personnel's training was insufficient, consisting of only a brief period of reading the maintenance manual and limited on-the-job instruction.
- The fuel truck was parked in the usual location for Avgas servicing, leading to the error.
- There was a lack of adequate surveillance and oversight from company management regarding fueling procedures.
- Improper maintenance and servicing practices contributed to the improper fuel grade being loaded into the engines.