What happened
While operating a flight from Saint Louis toward Boca Raton, the aircraft suffered a simultaneous loss of power in both engines. Following the dual engine failure, the crew declared an emergency and began a descent to a lower altitude. The pilots attempted to perform an emergency landing in the vicinity of Belle Glade.
Upon contacting the ground, the aircraft type struck dense, high vegetation. This impact caused the nose of the plane to dip, leading to a crash. While the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss, both members of the crew survived the incident with minor injuries.
Findings
Investigation into the accident identified that the primary reason for the dual engine failure was fuel exhaustion. Several contributing elements were noted during the analysis of the event:
- Inaccurate assessment of fuel consumption requirements
- Errors in preflight planning and preparation
- Mismanagement of available fuel resources
- Incorrect calibration or alignment of the fuel quantity gauge
- The presence of tall vegetation at the landing site which contributed to the impact dynamics