What happened
During preparations for a Part 135 on-demand charter flight, a twin-engine aircraft with gasoline engines was serviced by a fuel truck operator. During the fueling process, 120 gallons of Jet-A turbine fuel were inadvertently loaded into the aircraft's tanks.
Shortly after takeoff, while carrying six passengers, the pilot reported that both engines experienced a loss of power. This loss of thrust caused the aircraft to descend into tree-covered terrain located at the end of the departure runway.
Findings
An investigation into the fueling error revealed that the fuel truck used a dispensing nozzle that was identical to a standard gasoline nozzle. While the aircraft was equipped with round inlet restrictors designed to prevent the use of larger jet fuel nozzles, the fueling ports lacked the necessary placards. These missing labels failed to provide the required warning that only gasoline should be used in the tanks, contributing to the mismatched fuel type being introduced into the engines.