ACFT EQUIP PROB. DUAL ENG FAILURE. RPTR DSNDED AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART ENGS AT LOWER ALT.

Narrative

THIS FLY DAY STARTED IN RENO; NV; AFTER BEING THERE FOR 10 DAYS WITH THE CESSNA 401; BEING HANGARED BECAUSE OF HIGH WINDS. I WAS ON A TRIP FROM RENO TO RAPID CITY; SD; WITH A FUEL STOP AT ELKO; NV. I FLEW FROM RENO TO ELKO AT 10500 FT MSL AND THE PLANE PERFORMED FINE. AT ELKO I HAD THE PLANE FUELED; SUMPED ALL FUEL SUMPS AND FOUND NO WATER; FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR RAPID CITY TO FLY AT FL210 BECAUSE OF ICING BTWN 8000 FT AND 20000 FT MSL. THE FIRST 45 MINS OF FLT I FLEW AT 17000 FT BECAUSE I WAS ON TOP IN CLR SKIES. THEN I WENT ON UP TO FL210 TO STAY ON TOP FOR A WHILE AND TO STAY OUT OF ANY ICE. THE TEMP AT FL210 WAS APPROX MINUS 14 DEGS F. AT APPROX 1 HR AND 15 MINS INTO THE FLT; I CHANGED FUEL TANKS ON BOTH ENGS TO THE 20 GALLON AUX TANKS AT APPROX 2 MINS APART ON SELECTION. DURING THIS WHOLE FLT UP TO CHANGING FUEL TANK SELECTION I HAD THE BOOST PUMPS ON LOW. THE ENG RAN FINE AT 17000 FT AND AT FL210 ONCE IN A WHILE THEY WOULD HESITATE LIKE THEY WERE RUNNING A LITTLE ROUGH. I CHANGED THE MIXTURE SETTING; AND THEY WOULD CLR UP AND RUN FINE. WHEN I WENT TO THE AUX TANKS I HAD TO INCREASE THE FUEL FLOW SO IT WOULD RUN SMOOTHLY BY ABOUT 2 GALLONS PER HR PER ENG OR AT 18 GALLONS PER HR PER ENG. AFTER FLYING FOR APPROX 40 MINS ON AUX TANKS; I SWITCHED THEM BACK TO THE MAIN TIP TANKS; AGAIN AT APPROX 2 MIN INTERVALS. JUST SHORTLY AFTER SWITCHING THE SECOND TANK BACK TO THE MAIN; WHICH WAS #2 ENG; THE #1 ENG QUIT RUNNING. AT THAT TIME I TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD TO MAKE IT START UP BY SWITCHING FUEL SELECTOR ON #1 TO ALL DIFFERENT POS TRYING TO GET IT TO RUN. I WENT THROUGH THE EMER PROCS FOR ENG FAILURE AFTER CONTACTING ZLC THAT I HAD LOST PWR IN ONE ENG. I ALSO TURNED ON ALTERNATE AIR TO BOTH ENGS. THEY ASKED ME IF I WAS GOING TO FEATHER THE PROP ON THE BAD ENG AND I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT GOING TO FEATHER IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS A FUEL PROB AND THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE A FUEL LINE HAD FROZEN UP. AT APPROX 1-2 MINS AFTER SWITCHING THE FUEL SELECTOR ON #2 ENG TO THE MAIN TANK; #2 ENG QUIT RUNNING. NOW I HAD NO PWR FROM EITHER ENG. I CALLED ZLC AND TOLD THEM THAT I HAD LOST PWR IN BOTH ENGS. WHEN I LOST PWR IN #1 ENG CTR ASKED ME WHERE I WANTED TO LAND AND I ELECTED TO LAND AT CASPER. AFTER LOSING BOTH ENGS I DSNDED FROM FL210 TO 11200 FT MSL AND THEN 1 ENG STARTED. AT 11200 FT I WAS PICKING UP A LOT OF ICE ON THE WINGS; BUT WAS ABLE TO CLB ON 1 ENG UP TO NEARLY 12000 FT AND GET OUT OF THE ICE. DURING THIS WHOLE TIME PERIOD OF LOSING AND GETTING BACK MY ENG WE WERE IN TOTAL IMC. AFTER CLBING AND GETTING OUT OF THE ICE ON 1 ENG; I GOT PWR BACK IN THE SECOND ENG. AT THIS TIME IN THE FLT AFTER TALKING TO CTR WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS ON TOP OF A CLOUD LAYER WITH CLR SKIES ABOVE. CTR THEN WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MY PLANS WERE. I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO ON TO RAPID CITY; BEING THE CLOSER ARPT WITH VFR CONDITIONS; BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO GO INTO CASPER; WY; BECAUSE OF THE ICE AND 700 FT OVCST AND 3 MI VISIBILITY; WHEN I HAD 2 GOOD RUNNING ENGS. CTR SAID I WAS CLRED TO CONTINUE MY FLT TO RAPID CITY. THE FLT FROM THERE TO RAPID CITY WAS UNEVENTFUL; WITH THE AIRPLANE RUNNING PERFECT. I CLOSED MY IFR FLT PLAN ON A VISUAL APCH TO THE RAPID CITY ARPT WITH ELLSWORTH APCH. AFTER THINKING ABOUT THE OCCURRENCE FOR 2 DAYS; THIS IS WHAT I THINK HAPPENED. I THINK I GOT WATER IN MY GAS AT ELKO; NV; BUT IT WAS SUSPEND IN THE GAS WHEN I SUMPED THE TANKS AT ELKO AFTER FUELING. THAT IS WHY IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH AT TIMES; BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS DETONATING. WHEN I WAS RUNNING ON THE AUX TANKS THE FUEL LINES FROZE ON EACH MAIN TANK. THE ENGS EACH RAN FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER CHANGING BACK TO THE MAIN TANKS; BECAUSE THEY WERE RUNNING ON WHAT GAS IS IN THE FUEL SELECTOR SUMPS AND THEN QUIT. EACH ENG RAN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AFTER BEING CHANGED TO THEIR MAIN TANKS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW; THE ACTUAL FUEL SELECTOR IS OUT IN THE WING; NOT IN THE FLOOR BOARD OF THE AIRPLANE; WHERE YOU DO THE SELECTING; AND THERE IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE MAIN SUMP OUTTHERE THAT THE ENG COULD RUN FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE REASON THE ENGS STARTED RUNNING AGAIN WAS BECAUSE I DSNDED FROM FL210 WHERE IT WAS APPROX MINUS 14 DEGS F TO 11200 FT WHERE IT WAS PLUS 33 DEGS F WHERE IT WAS WARMER AND IT THAWED OUT THE GAS LINES THAT FROZE UP WHILE NOT BEING USED; WHEN I WAS RUNNING ON THE AUX TANKS. THE QUESTION WAS ASKED WHY THERE WAS NO FUEL IN ONE OF THE AUX TANKS AFTER ALL OF THIS. AFTER FLYING THIS PLANE A LOT I KNOW PRETTY CLOSE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO USE THE FUEL OUT AND SECONDLY; I WENT BACK TO THE AUX TANK SELECTION SEVERAL TIMES TRYING TO GET GAS; AND PROBABLY SUCKED OUT ANY GAS THAT WAS IN THERE WHEN I WAS ON DSCNT WITH DEAD ENGS. DURING THIS FLT; I WAS NOT CLOSE TO ANY OTHER TFC; NO TFC WAS DEVIATED BECAUSE OF ME. I DID NOT ENDANGER ANYONE; OR ANYONE'S PROPERTY. ALSO; I TURNED ON THE ALTERNATE AIR ON BOTH ENGS; WHEN I LOST PWR IN THE FIRST ENG; AND THE SECOND ENG STILL QUIT RUNNING; SO THERE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY INDICATION ICE OR THE SECOND ENG WOULDN'T HAVE QUIT.