Flight History
The pilot departed on a night multiple-leg flight series with full fuel tanks. During the approach for the second landing, the green landing gear lights extinguished. The pilot investigated and found that when the landing gear was extended, the relevant circuit breaker remained in; when the gear was retracted, the circuit breaker popped.
The circuit breaker controlled the landing gear lights, engine oil pressure, and both fuel quantity gauges. Despite this malfunction, the pilot continued to operate the airplane for four additional flights under the same condition.
Events on Final Flight
On the fourth flight after the issue was identified, the flight terminated 5 miles from the runway with a double power loss. Examination revealed that the fuel tanks were empty.
Flight Time and Operations
The pilot had flown the airplane for 4.3 hours, which included six takeoffs, one missed approach, and a 20-minute ground run prior to departure with both engines running on the final flight.
Investigation
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be the pilot's improper decision to continue operating the airplane with inoperative equipment, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors contributing to the event were the inoperative fuel quantity gauges and the night conditions.