What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot reported engine problems, and the acft crashed on 1/2 mile final approach to rwy 8, other circumstances are unknown. (From .19) on April 20, 1999, about 1910 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 402B, N744MA, registered to three amigos flying services, inc., and operated by execstar aviation, inc., as a title 14 CFR part 135 nonscheduled domestic cargo flight from fort myers, Florida to fort Lauderdale, Florida, crashed while attempting a forced landing following loss of power in both engines while on approach to fort Lauderdale executive airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot received minor injuries. The flight originated from fort myers, the same day, about 1830. While on final approach to the fort Lauderdale executive airport, the pilot reported to FAA controllers that he was experiencing engine malfunctions. The aircraft was observed to crash about 1 mile west of the airport. Postcrash examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector showed the aircraft touched down in a field and during landing rollout the left wing contacted a tree and separate d from the aircraft. The right engine controls were in the engine shutdown position and the propeller was in a feathered position. The right engine fuel selector was off. The left engine controls were in the engine shutdown position and the left engine fuel selector was in the right main fuel tank position. The left propeller was not in a feathered position. The right auxiliary fuel tank was undamaged and contained 2.5 gallons of fuel. The right main fuel tank was undamaged and contained no fuel. The left main fuel tank was undamaged and contained one half gallon of fuel. The left auxiliary fuel tank was ruptured during the accident. (-23) the pilot was returning from a flight from ft. myers, Florida, when the aircraft ran out of fuel. The aircraft crashed while attempting a forced landing following loss of power in both engines while on a VFR approach to the ft. Lauderdale executive airport (fxe) in ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The aircraft struck some trees and crashed in a field one (1) mile short of the runway. (.4) while on approach to land the left engine surged and quit. The pilot switched the left engine fuel selector to another fuel tank and the engine restarted. A s hort time later the left engine surged and quit again. The pilot switched the left engine fuel selector to the right main fuel tank and the engine again restarted. A short time later the left engine quit again and he shutdown the engine and feathered the propeller. A short time later the right engine surged and quit. He shut down the right engine and feathered the propeller. He then made a forced landing in a field and during landing rollout the aircraft's left wing collided with a tree. A fire erupted in the left wing area. Post crash examination showed the right main fuel tank was empty. The right auxiliary fuel tank contained 2.5 gallons. The left main fuel tank contained one half gallon of fuel and the left auxiliary tank was ruptured. The pilot operating handbook states the main fuel tanks have one gallon unusable fuel and the auxiliary fuel tanks have one half gallon of unusable fuel.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT REPORTED ENGINE PROBLEMS, AND THE ACFT CRASHED ON 1/2 MILE FINAL APPROACH TO RWY 8, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON APRIL 20, 1999, ABOUT 1910 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 402B, N744MA, REGISTERED TO THREE AMIGOS FLYING SERVICES, INC., AND OPERATED BY EXECSTAR AVIATION, INC., AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 135 NONSCHEDULED DOMESTIC CARGO FLIGHT FROM FORT MYERS, FLORIDA TO FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON APPROACH TO FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM FORT MYERS, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1830. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED TO FAA CONTROLLERS THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO CRASH ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF THE AIRPORT. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY AN FAA INSPECTOR SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A FIELD AND DURING LANDING ROLLOUT THE LEFT WING CONTACTED A TREE AND SEPARATE D FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE RIGHT ENGINE CONTROLS WERE IN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN POSITION AND THE PROPELLER WAS IN A FEATHERED POSITION. THE RIGHT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR WAS OFF. THE LEFT ENGINE CONTROLS WERE IN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN POSITION AND THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK POSITION. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS NOT IN A FEATHERED POSITION. THE RIGHT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED 2.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED NO FUEL. THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED ONE HALF GALLON OF FUEL. THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS RUPTURED DURING THE ACCIDENT. (-23) THE PILOT WAS RETURNING FROM A FLIGHT FROM FT. MYERS, FLORIDA, WHEN THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON A VFR APPROACH TO THE FT. LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (FXE) IN FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SOME TREES AND CRASHED IN A FIELD ONE (1) MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. (.4) WHILE ON APPROACH TO LAND THE LEFT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT. THE PILOT SWITCHED THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR TO ANOTHER FUEL TANK AND THE ENGINE RESTARTED. A S HORT TIME LATER THE LEFT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT AGAIN. THE PILOT SWITCHED THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK AND THE ENGINE AGAIN RESTARTED. A SHORT TIME LATER THE LEFT ENGINE QUIT AGAIN AND HE SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER. A SHORT TIME LATER THE RIGHT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT. HE SHUT DOWN THE RIGHT ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER. HE THEN MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD AND DURING LANDING ROLLOUT THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH A TREE. A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE LEFT WING AREA. POST CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE RIGHT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK CONTAINED 2.5 GALLONS. THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK CONTAINED ONE HALF GALLON OF FUEL AND THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK WAS RUPTURED. THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK STATES THE MAIN FUEL TANKS HAVE ONE GALLON UNUSABLE FUEL AND THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS HAVE ONE HALF GALLON OF UNUSABLE FUEL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.