NTSB Factual Report

On December 8, 2004, approximately 1831 central standard time, a Beech B200 twin-engine turboprop airplane, N6PE, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a dual loss of engine power approximately four miles north of runway 18L at Tulsa International Airport (TUL), near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The instrument-rated private pilot, sole occupant and owner of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed for the business flight that was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The cross-country flight originated from the La Crosse Municipal Airport (LSE), near La Crosse, Wisconsin, at 1607, with TUL as its intended destination.

In a telephone interview with an NTSB representative, the 2,100-hour pilot stated that upon departure from LSE for the 507 nautical-mile cross-country flight, the fuel gauges indicated approximately 800 pounds of fuel on each side, for a total of 1600 pounds; however, he did not visually check the amount of fuel in the tanks.

During his approach to TUL, the pilot was "cleared to land 18L." According to the pilot, approximately 6 miles from the runway, the right engine started to "sputter" before it finally lost power. The pilot then "looked over at the fuel gauges and both tanks were showing empty." The left engine lost power just a few moments later. The auto ignition system installed in the airplane attempted to restart the engines. The engines restarted momentarily and then shut-off once more. The pilot feathered both propellers and elected to "declare an emergency" to air traffic control (ATC). The pilot said that as he was descending without power, he was watching the moving-map display on his global positioning system (GPS) unit, and "knew that he was not going to make it to the runway."

At the time, the pilot was traveling on a southerly heading, but he spotted a street below that ran in an east-west direction and thought that it would be the most suitable place to execute his forced landing. There was a "half-mile break in the traffic on the road," and the pilot approached the street and stalled the airplane in an empty space directly over the street. After a hard landing onto the street, the right wing hit a telephone pole, and the left wing then hit several tree limbs before the airplane impacted a hill and came to rest upright. There was no postimpact fire.

According to the pilot, structural damage to the airplane included the outboard section of both wings, both propellers, and the right engine being separated from the airplane. The tail of the airplane was separated from the fuselage and had rotated in a clockwise direction.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, found the fuel transfer switch in the "right-crossfeed" position. The fuel system was examined, and no leaks or anomalies were found. Approximately three-quarters of a gallon of unusable fuel was found in the right engine nacelle. Approximately four gallons (28 pounds) of usable fuel was found in the left engine nacelle.

The airplane was equipped with the Hartzell/Raisbeck quiet turbofan propeller modification. The pilot stated that this modification would improve performance and decrease fuel consumption; however, according to the performance section of the Raisbeck FAA-approved Flight Manual Supplement for the B200, "the use of the basic POH performance for this configuration is approved" with some additional changes in takeoff speeds. Additionally, the pilot's operating handbook (POH) states that "an error of 3 percent maximum may be encountered" in the fuel gauging system.

Based on calculations from the B200 basic POH, time, fuel and distance to climb to 28,000 feet would have been 16 minutes, 285 pounds (including 90 pounds for start, taxi, and takeoff), and 50 nautical miles respectively. According to a performance monitoring record from a previous flight (same altitude and route of flight) submitted by the pilot, the fuel flow of the left engine was 300 pounds per hour, and the fuel flow for the right engine was 265 pounds per hour for a total fuel consumption of 565 pounds per hour during cruise flight. Two hours and eight minutes at 565 pounds per hour was calculated for a consumption of 1,205.33 pounds of fuel consumed during cruise flight.

At 1753, the automated weather observing system at TUL reported wind from 180 degrees at 13 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, a clear sky, temperature 57 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.76 inches of Mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight planning / preparation.