Introduction
A night, northbound international overwater flight paralleling the east coast of the southeastern United States encountered headwinds. Upon arrival at the intended destination, weather conditions were below forecast, leading to multiple instrument approach attempts.
Flight Details
After the first missed approach, the controller advised the crew of an airport 36 miles to the north with "much better" weather. The crew declined, citing a need to clear customs. During the third missed approach, the left engine lost power. While being vectored for a fourth approach, the right engine lost power.
Sequence of Events
Using the global positioning system, the captain pointed the airplane toward the intersection of the airport's two runways. Approximately 50 feet above the ground, he saw runway lights and landed. The captain attempted to lower the landing gear prior to landing, but it would not extend due to a lack of hydraulic pressure from the loss of engine power. The alternate gear extension would not have been completed in time.
Fuel Situation
The captain stated that the airplane arrived in the vicinity of the destination with about 1,000 pounds of fuel on board, or 55 minutes of fuel remaining. However, air traffic and cockpit voice recordings revealed that the right engine lost power about 14 minutes after arrival, and the left engine about 20 minutes after arrival. Federal air regulations require, for an instrument flight rules flight plan, that an airplane carry enough fuel to complete the flight to the first airport of landing, fly from that airport to an alternate, and fly after that for 45 minutes at normal cruising speed. The loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion, with no preaccident mechanical anomalies noted to the airplane.
Damage
The gear-up landing resulted in damage to the underside of the fuselage and punctures of the pressure vessel.
Probable Cause
The official finding states the probable cause was a loss of engine power due to the crew's inadequate in-flight fuel monitoring.