Accident Sequence
On March 19, 1994, at 1355 hours, an aircraft registered as N1576T crashed during final approach. The flight had originated at 1030 hours the same day. According to witnesses, the airplane was seen flying in an erratic manner at low altitude just before the accident.
Witness Observations
Two witnesses in a car reported seeing the airplane "going up and down toward the ground." They heard a faint clicking noise and noted that the propellers were rotating slowly. The witnesses then observed the airplane take "a short nosedive" and crash. They described the airplane as not traveling very fast and remaining relatively level to the ground. The witnesses could not hear the engines because they were inside their vehicle.
Fuel and Aircraft Information
Fuel records indicate that 112 gallons of fuel were added to N1576T on March 17, 1994. The flight duration from start at 1030 to the accident at 1355 was 3 hours and 25 minutes. Using fuel consumption data for the aircraft type, it was estimated that fuel exhaustion would occur after approximately 3 hours and 4 minutes of flight, indicating that the aircraft had exceeded its fuel endurance. The pilot was the sole occupant and was killed in the accident.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the accident, as determined by the official investigation, was the pilot's inadequate inflight decision and planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the total loss of engine power.