What happened
During the downwind leg of a circling approach, the pilot of the aircraft experienced engine surges. In an attempt to maintain power, the pilot applied full throttle and activated the fuel boost pumps. However, as the aircraft continued on the downwind leg, positioned abeam the approach end of the runway, the engines experienced a second period of surging before losing power entirely.
In response to the loss of engine power, the pilot performed a forced landing. The aircraft struck the terrain located short of the runway. A subsequent inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed significant structural damage, including a buckled fuselage and a crushed left wing that was bent upward.
Prior to departure, the pilot had performed a preflight inspection and noted that the fuel gauge indicated a full tank, though a visual inspection of the fuel tanks was not conducted. Records show the aircraft had been fueled with 135 gallons of fuel three days before the incident. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had been flying for approximately 4 hours since its last refueling.
Findings
Post-accident investigations determined that the fuel tanks remained intact. When examining the single fuel sump, inspectors found only about one cup of fuel remaining. The investigation noted that while the pilot observed a full fuel reading during preflight, the pilot did not visually verify the fuel levels in the tanks.