What happened
Shortly after departing, the aircraft's right engine suffered a loss of power, which was followed by a similar loss of power in the left engine. In response to the dual engine failure, the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft type toward the closest available open field. During the subsequent landing attempt, the aircraft struck the terrain, causing the fuselage to split near the aft pressure bulkhead.
Findings
Investigations into the aircraft's fuel configuration revealed a complex system consisting of four separate tanks: two wing tanks located outboard of the engines, a main fuselage tank, and an auxiliary tank situated in the forward baggage area. At the time of departure, the pilot had loaded a total of 131 gallons of fuel, distributed across these four tanks. While the auxiliary tank featured a highly visible red placard, the main fuselage tank's red placard was difficult to distinguish due to the surrounding red paint stripe.
Post-accident inspections of the engines and airframe showed no mechanical defects that would have prevented standard operation. Furthermore, the fuselage tanks remained intact, and the check valves in the fuel sumps were functional, preventing fuel from flowing between tanks. Discrepancies were noted in the remaining fuel levels: the left wing held 17 gallons, the right wing held 57 gallons, the auxiliary tank held 28 gallons, and the main fuselage tank contained only 2.5 gallons. The evidence suggests that the pilot exhausted the fuel in the main fuselage tank, which triggered the engine failures.