Aircraft Ditches Due to Dual Engine Failure Outside of Sacrament

A Beechcraft Duchess, a light twin engine aircraft with 4 seats, suffered a dual engine failure Saturday night 7 miles from its intended destination while enroute from the Visalia Municipal Airport (KVIS) to the Mc Clellan Airfield (KMCC) in Sacramento, California. As if a dual engine failure isn't bad enough, this one happened at night! As stated in a video available on KCRA, the pilot was able to avoid nearby houses by "looking for a dark spot to land hoping to miss structures". The pilot and his two other occupants were lucky,  surviving the crash without major injury. A map of the area, as seen in the full article on The Charlotte Flying Daily, shows that while there  are structures nearby, it is a mostly rural area.

Learning from the Accident

The comments from other pilots are, unfortunately, most likely correct: the plane ran out of fuel. Dual engine failures are extremely rare, and the fact that it was reported that the engines failed at the same time points to a fuel issue.

Just because the plane was flying from KVIS to KMCC, a distance of only 170NM, doesn't mean the aircraft fueled in Visalia.

Sadly, these occurrences are all too common, and completely avoidable. A quick search of the NTSB Accident Database returns 31 accidents contributed to fuel exhaustion in the past year - all except one were contributed to poor flight planning. Only one accident, a Piper Tri-pacer in Elgin, South Carolina, was fatal.

The FAA is pretty clear on fuel requirements when piloting an aircraft - with FAR 91.151 and 91.167 stating that pilots must have at least a 30 minute reserve when flying during daytime VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and a 45 minute reserve when flying during nighttime VFR and while flying under Instrument Flight Rules. As a flight instructor I feel though these requirements, while perfectly fine, don't provide a safe barrier I'm comfortable with, especially when flying IFR. All it takes is one minor mistake in flight planning, stronger than forecasted winds, unexpected ATC delays, or a higher than normal fuel burn and that 30 minute reserve is eaten up pretty quickly!

Of course, it could have been worse. The pilot could have been flying in instrument conditions at night while making an approach to an airport in a densely populated area as seen in July of last year when a Piper Warrior ran out of fuel due to poor planning while trying to execute a VOR approach into Richmond. ATC recording of that accident can be found on LiveATC (registration required - it's free).

**FULL STORY available on The Charlotte Flying Daily News along with pictures.**