What happened
On April 20, 2012, at approximately 6:10 p.m., a Cessna 401B, registration HI 744, was conducting a private flight from Dr. Joaquín Balaguer International Airport to El Catey International Airport in the Dominican Republic. Roughly five minutes into the flight, the pilot was forced to execute an emergency landing in a pasture located in La Candelaria, Monte Plata Province.
The aircraft struck irregular terrain containing trees and barbed-wire fences. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the airframe, including a collapsed right landing gear, fuselage punctures, and significant damage to both wingtips and leading edges. The propeller blades on the number two engine were also deformed. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, escaped the wreckage without injury.
The investigation
The CIAA investigation focused on the fuel distribution and the pilot's pre-flight actions. Investigators discovered that the aircraft's fuel system was configured differently than most similar models; in this specific Cessna 401B, the main tanks are located at the wingtips, while the auxiliary tanks are located in the inboard wing sections.
During refueling, the pilot requested 50 gallons for the main tanks and 10 gallons for the auxiliary tanks. However, due to the unusual configuration, the fuel was actually loaded with 50 gallons in the auxiliary tanks and only 10 gallons in the main tanks. The pilot, who had not flown this specific type of aircraft for over three months, selected the main tanks for flight, unaware that they contained only 10 gallons of fuel. After approximately 10 nautical miles of flight, the pilot noticed fluctuations in the left engine's fuel flow. Attempts to correct the issue via the mixture control failed, leading to a loss of power in both engines.
Findings
- The pilot had not operated this aircraft type for more than three months prior to the accident.
- The pilot failed to perform an adequate pre-flight inspection, which would have revealed the incorrect fuel levels in the selected tanks.
- The pilot confused the location of the main and auxiliary fuel tanks due to the non-standard configuration of the aircraft's fuel system.
- The pilot did not follow the established checklist procedures during the engine power loss emergency.