What happened
During a cross-country flight under instrument flight rules, a private pilot and five passengers were traveling in a multiengine airplane. The aircraft had departed with a full fuel load, providing an estimated endurance of five hours. While cruising at 12,000 feet MSL, the pilot notified air traffic control of a failure regarding the right engine's fuel pump and requested an immediate diversion to the closest airport. Approximately seven minutes following this initial report, the pilot communicated that both fuel pumps had failed and that the aircraft had lost all engine power.
As the aircraft continued toward the diversion airfield, it descended into a wooded area roughly 1,650 feet before the runway threshold. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire. There were 6 fatalities in the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the airframe and engines showed no mechanical malfunctions or pre-impact failures that would have prevented the engines from operating normally. Testing of all six fuel pumps on the aircraft revealed no anomalies, though corrosion was found in the right boost pump, likely caused by water from firefighting efforts.
The aircraft featured four fuel tanks, with an inboard and outboard tank on each wing. At the time of the incident, the fuel selector valves were set to the outboard tanks. Based on flight logs and fuel consumption, the outboard tanks contained enough fuel for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes of flight, which aligned with when the pilot first reported the pump issue.
Data from the engine monitor indicated that both engines suffered from fuel starvation. While the pilot's operating handbook dictates that outboard tanks should be used before switching to inboard tanks, the pilot likely failed to switch the selectors once the outboard fuel was depleted. The pilot appears to have misidentified the resulting loss of fuel pressure as a mechanical pump failure.