What happened
During a five-hour aerial survey mission conducted at 16,500 feet MSL, an aircraft experienced a simultaneous loss of power in both engines. The incident occurred approximately 10 miles from the intended destination airport. Upon noticing low fuel indicators, the pilot executed a 90-degree right turn to steer the aircraft toward a service road for an emergency landing.
During the landing sequence, the aircraft struck three vehicles located on the road. The impact also involved a metal traffic light pole, which caused the right wing and the rear section of the fuselage to separate from the main airframe. There were 0 fatalities reported in the accident.
Findings
Post-accident investigations revealed that the aircraft's right wing tanks were empty, while approximately 3 gallons of fuel remained in the left wing tanks. The pilot reported that the aircraft had been loaded with 142.4 gallons of 100LL fuel, with a total capacity of 236 gallons prior to departure. However, the pilot admitted to not performing a comprehensive weight and balance calculation or a detailed fuel consumption analysis for the mission.
Evidence suggests the primary cause of the dual engine failure was fuel exhaustion. It is believed that the actual fuel volume at takeoff was lower than the reported 236 gallons, a discrepancy resulting from insufficient preflight inspections and inadequate flight planning.