Investigation number
199600827
Occurrence date
Location
45km E Albany
Report release date
Report status
Final
Investigation type
Occurrence Investigation
Investigation status
Completed
Aviation occurrence type
Fuel starvation
Occurrence category
Accident
Highest injury level
Fatal

Witness evidence indicates the aircraft and pilot were hired so
the passengers, Federal and State officers, could complete an
aerial inspection of some unidentified drums located in a small bay
45 km east of Albany. An attempt to reach the drums on foot had
failed because of dense undergrowth.

The pilots flight information sheet shows the flight departed
Albany Airport at 0901. Passengers watches indicate the crash
occurred between 0920 and 0925. There were no witnesses to the
route flown or the crash.

The aircraft was reported missing at 1500 and the wreckage was
located at 1615, on the edge of the bay containing the drums.

The investigation determined that neither engine was producing
power at impact. The rear engine had been starved of fuel. It is
probable that an unbalanced right turn caused unporting of the fuel
line to the right sump.

As the right sump fuel contents approached the unusable level it
is likely the rear engine began to surge rather then just lose all
power immediately. Re-establishment of fuel supply from the
auxiliary tank would have corrected the situation and prevented
complete power loss. The pilot probably attempted to change the
tank selection. The lack of fuel in the rear fuel supply lines
indicates that this did not occur. Although there is no substantive
evidence to explain the loss of power on the front engine it is
possible the pilot inadvertently selected it off instead of
selecting the rear engine to the auxiliary tank.

Failure of the rear engine alone may have been sufficient to
cause the loss of control; particularly, if the pilot was
distracted from flying the aircraft by the engine/fuel situation.
Failure of both engines at a critical point in a
maximum-performance turn in a confined area would almost certainly
lead to loss of control.

The low operating altitude probably prevented recovery from the
loss of control situation before impact.

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer
Cessna Aircraft Company
Model
337
Registration
VH-FAM
Serial number
3370797
Operation type
Charter
Departure point
Albany, WA
Departure time
0901 WST
Destination
Albany, WA
Damage
Destroyed