What happened
A positioning flight consisting of the pilot, first officer, and one passenger was conducting a cross-country mission when both engines lost power at approximately 2,000 feet MSL. The incident occurred while the crew was cleared for a visual approach to their destination airport after nearly four hours of flight time.
Following the loss of power, the pilot attempted to restart the engines but was unsuccessful. While descending toward open water, the pilot deployed the landing gear and initiated a right turn toward a small airstrip situated roughly five miles northwest of the arrival airport. The aircraft subsequently impacted soft, marshy terrain during the landing attempt. During the subsequent roll, the nose of the airplane dipped, causing structural damage to the lower forward section of the fuselage.
Findings
Post-accident inspections conducted by the FAA revealed that the right fuel tank was empty at the time of the incident. Although the pilot believed there were 50 to 60 gallons remaining in the left tank, investigators found only about one inch of fuel left in that tank. The investigation noted that the right fuel selector was set to the right auxiliary tank, while the left selector was positioned between the left main and left auxiliary tanks. Fuel exhaustion was identified as the primary factor, exacerbated by the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and the nature of the soft terrain at the landing site.