Fort Wayne International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Uniondale, Indiana 46791
Monday, September 1, 2003 20:02 EST

The airplane impacted a utility pole and the terrain following a loss of engine power while being vectored for an ILS approach. The pilot diverted to an airport that had an ILS approach during the flight because of deteriorated weather. The pilot stated that during the approach the airplane did not seem to be descending so he disconnected the autopilot and subsequently executed a missed approach. The pilot reported that upon reaching 2,600 feet msl during the missed approach, he leaned the engine using turbo inlet temperature. The pilot reported the engine began to sputter so he pushed the mixture to rich, adjusted the throttle, and switched the boost pump to LOW, but the engine continued to sputter. He switched the boost pump to HI and the sputtering stopped momentarily before starting again. The pilot informed ATC that he was having a fuel problem and he needed to land "ASAP." The approach controller issued a vector to turn N8018J onto the approach. The pilot stated he switched the fuel selector to the left tank position and he attempted to restart the engine to no avail. The pilot reported that during the emergency descent all of the airplane lights went out except for the GPS and EFIS which had independent lighting systems. The airplane impacted the utility pole and slid across a county road before coming to rest. A post impact fire and explosion ensued. Usable fuel capacity for the airplane is 102 gallons. The fuel tanks were last topped off on August 1, 2003, and there was an addition total of 151.7 gallons added since that time. This resulted in the airplane having had 253.7 gallons of usable fuel on board since August 1, 2003. The airplane was flown 12.1 hours with 8 takeoffs since it was topped off. The pilot stated the fuel burn ranged from 12 to 30 gallons per hour with an average of 18 to 19 gallons per hour. According to Beechcraft, an additional 4 gallons of fuel would be used for each taxi, takeoff, and climb sequence. A fuel burn of 18 gallons per hour, would have resulted in the airplane using 249.8 gallons (217.8 gallons plus 32 gallons) of fuel during the 12.1 hours of flight time. A fuel burn of 19 gallons per hour would have resulted in 261.9 gallons (229.9 gallons plus 32 gallons) being used. Inspection of the engine revealed only residual fuel was present in the fuel manifold and in the fuel metering unit. There was no fuel present in any of the fuel lines or in the fuel pump. Regulation 49 CFR Part 91.167 states no person may operate a civil aircraft in IFR conditions unless it carries enough fuel to complete the flight to the first airport of intended landing, fly from that airport to the alternate airport, and fly thereafter for 45 minutes at normal cruise.

The pilot's inaccurate preflight planning which resulted in an inadequate fuel supply and subsequent fuel exhaustion. Factors associated with the accident were the low ceiling, dark night conditions, and the utility pole which the airplane contacted during the forced landing.