Introduction
An airplane departed Houston, Texas, on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight to San Diego, California. The flight encountered fuel management issues that culminated in a ditching after a missed approach.
Flight Details
According to the pilot in the left seat, the original plan included a fuel stop at Gila Bend, Arizona, but the fueling station there was closed. The crew subsequently landed at a private airstrip and arranged for someone to drive to Casa Grande Airport to purchase fuel. Concerned about the runway length at the private strip, the pilot decided to take only 65 gallons of fuel for the remaining leg to San Diego.
En route, the right-seat pilot obtained weather information from Flight Service Station (FSS), which reported a 1,000-foot overcast ceiling at the destination. The right-seat pilot then requested and received an instrument clearance.
Fuel Concerns
The Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) controller advised the pilot that he would need to maintain higher speeds due to jet traffic or accept delay vectors for spacing. The pilot declared that they were fuel critical, later stating they had about 45 minutes to one hour of fuel remaining.
Approach and Ditching
The right-seat pilot was cleared for the localizer runway 27 approach. Approximately 18 minutes later, the pilot executed a missed approach because the aircraft was too high to land. Shortly thereafter, the pilot informed San Diego radar that they were fuel critical and had only about five minutes of fuel left. The controller provided vectors to the nearest airport and instructed the pilot not to descend further. The right-seat pilot replied that they were now a glider, and later told San Diego police that they had run out of fuel.
Post-accident Examination
No discrepancies were found with either the airframe or the engines during the post-accident examination.