What happened
Following the installation of a new right engine at a maintenance hangar, an aircraft departed with an unspecified amount of fuel onboard. During the initial climb phase, the pilot notified air traffic control that one engine had failed. The flight crew initially requested vectors back to the departure airfield but subsequently changed their request to divert to an alternate airport.
During the final two and a regular half minutes of flight, radar data indicated a rapid loss of altitude and airspeed, with the aircraft dropping from 2,500 feet to 700 feet and slowing from 190 knots to approximately 87 knots. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported hearing an irregular engine rhythm characterized by sputtering sounds before the aircraft disappeared from view and a subsequent impact occurred.
Post-accident investigation revealed that a fire had consumed the left wing. Investigators found that while forty gallons of fuel remained in the right inboard and nacelle tanks, only trace amounts were present in the right outboard tank. Both fuel selectors had been set to the outboard tank position.
Findings
Analysis of maintenance records and flight logs showed that the engines had been running for roughly three hours with the outboard tanks selected. Given that each outboard tank contained 40 gallons, providing a total of 80 gallons, and the known fuel consumption rate at maximum endurance is 28 gallons per hour, the available fuel was insufficient for the duration of the flight. The investigation concluded that improper fuel tank selection led to engine starvation.