Incident Overview
A night cargo flight en route from Houma to Amarillo suffered an engine failure caused by fuel exhaustion. In response, the pilot reduced altitude and initiated an emergency landing in a prairie. During the landing, the aircraft struck fences and ultimately came to rest. The impact left both occupants seriously injured, and the aircraft was destroyed beyond repair.
Findings
The investigation determined that the engine failed in flight due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors identified in the official report include a collision with fences, inadequate preflight preparation, mismanagement of fuel, inattention to the fuel supply, the presence of hidden obstructions, complete failure of one engine, and the pilot's failure to verify the quantity of fuel in the tanks prior to takeoff.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The probable cause of the accident was an engine failure in flight due to fuel exhaustion. The following contributing factors were reported: collision with fences, inadequate preflight preparation, mismanagement of fuel, inattentiveness to fuel supply, fuel exhaustion, hidden obstructions, complete failure on one engine, and the pilot's failure to check fuel quantity before takeoff.