20080310838229A

(-23) THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT, N594DM (OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 135 BY AERO CHARTER AND TRANSPORT INC. N3BA) DEPARTED RENO, NV (KRNO) AT APPROXIMATELY 2030 PDT ON 03/10/2008 AND WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN DESTINED FOR NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV (KVGT). APPROXIMATELY 1-HOUR INTO THE FLIGHT, IN THE VICINITY OF THE COALDALE VOR (OAL), THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) NOTICED A FUEL IMBALANCE AS THE RT FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR DISPLAYED LESS FUEL THAN THE LEFT FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR. IN ADDITION, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A TENDENCY TO ROLL UNCOMMANDED TO THE LEFT. AS A RESULT, THE PIC ATTEMPTED TO CROSSFEED FUEL FROM THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK TO THE RIGHT ENGINE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES, THE PIC DID NOT NOTICE ANY CHANGE IN THE LEFT FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR (THE RIGHT FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR CONTINUED TO SHOW A DECREASE) AND CONCLUDED THAT THE CROSSFEED PROCEDURE WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE PIC RETURNED THE RIGHT FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT MAIN TANK POSITION AND ADVISED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES LATER, ATC INFORMED N594DM THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE UPCOMING LAS VEGAS AIRSPACE. IN THE VICINITY OF THE BEATTY VOR (BTY) AT AN ALTITUDE OF 15000' MSL, N594DM EXPERIENCED A RIGHT ENGINE FAILURE. THE PIC FEATHERED THE PROPELLER AND DID NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE, CONCLUDING THAT PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DRAW FUEL FROM THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. AS THE PIC WAS NOTIFYING ATC OF THE ENGINE FAILURE, THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER REQUIRING ATC TO VECTOR N594DM TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT (DESERT ROCK AIRPORT, NV). N594DM ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT DESERT ROCK AIRPORT (KDRA) AT APPROXIMATELY 22:00 PST. THE AIRPORT IS OWNED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND IS ON PROPERTY CONTROLLED BY THE NEVADA TEST SITE (NATIONAL SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES/DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY). THE PIC REPORTED THAT THE RUNWAY LIGHTS COULD NOT BE ACTIVATED THROUGH THE COMMON TRAFFIC ADVISORY FREQUENCY (CTAF). TIRE MARKS LEFT ON THE RUNWAY BY THE NOSE AND MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES START APPROXIMATELY 750 FEET FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 2 (BEGINNING OF RUNWAY 20). GROUND SCARRING INTO THE RUNWAY SURFACE (THREE DEEP GOUGES FOLLOWED BY THREE BLACK MARKS) CAUSED BY THE LEFT PROPELLER START APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET FROM THE START OF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR TIRE SKID MARK. THE AIRCRAFT, LEFT TIRE AND METALLIC SKID MARKS ON THE RUNWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 294 FEET WITH THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT WING STRIKING 2 RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID ON THE RUNWAY AND BEFORE DRIFTING OFF THE WEST SIDE OF RUNWAY 220. THE AIRCRAFT SLID AN ADDITIONAL 300 FEET IN HARD PACKED DIRT AND GRAVEL ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY BEFORE COMING TO REST HEADING 250 DEGREES AND APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. DAMAGE: THE MARKS LEFT ON THE RUNWAY BY THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SHOW A DISTINCT CHANGE IN WIDTH AND DARKNESS SHORTLY AFTER THE INITIAL MARKS. TRACES OF METAL DRAGGING ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE WERE ALSO NOTED WITHIN THE BLACK MARKS OF THE TIRE. THIS MAY SUGGEST THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AT THIS TIME, THIS WOULD ALSO ACCOUNT FOR THE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE WHEN IT STRUCK THE RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS. THE RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE LANDING GEAR APPEAR TO HAVE COLLAPSED AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID IN THE DIRT AFTER LEAVING THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS FOUND PARTIALLY RETRACTED IN THE NOSE WHEEL WELL AND THE NOSE WHEEL WAS TWISTED AND UNDER THE LEFT NOSE GEAR DOOR. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR OUTER CYLINDER APPEARED TO BE FULLY EXTENDED HOWEVER THE INNER CYLINDER AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY WERE FOUND UNDER THE CENTER OF THE FUSELAGE/WING SECTION. THE LEFT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF HITTING TWO RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS, SCRAPPING AND IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM WING AND A SPAN WISE SPLIT APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET ALONG THE BOTTOM OF THE WING LEAVING THE FUEL TANK OPEN. THERE WAS A HEAVY AROMA OF AV-GAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEFT WING COMING FROM THE GROUND. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DOOR AND LOWER ROTATING BEACON WERE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 175 FEET FROM WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST. THERE APPEARED TO BE NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING OTHER THAN THE NAV/STROBE LENS MISSING. THERE APPEARED TO BE NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE TO THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE LOWER SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE AND WINGS FROM THE NACELLES INBOARD COULD NOT BE INSPECTED AS A RESULT OF THE AIRCRAFT RESTING ON THE GROUND. THE LEFT PROPELLER SHOWED SIGNS OF IMPACT AND SCRAPPING DAMAGE TO THE FORWARD FACES OF ALL BLADES. THE BLADE TIPS WERE ROLLED BACK AND TWO OF THE THREE BLADES WERE NOTED AS BEING IN A FINE PITCH ANGLE. INTERNAL DAMAGE TO HUB ALSO ALLOWED TWO OF THE THREE BLADES TO BE ROTATED SLIGHTLY. THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS NOTED AS BEING IN THE "FEATHERED" POSITION. TWO OF THE THREE BLADES WERE NOTED AS BEING IN A FINE PITCH ANGLE. INTERNAL DAMAGE TO HUB ALSO ALLOWED TWO OF THE THREE BALDES TO BE ROTATED SLIGHTLY. THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS NOTED AS BEING IN THE "FEATHERED" POSITION. TWO OF THE THREE BLADES WERE CURLED BACK TOWARDS THE FACE OF THE BLADE, THE OTHER WAS CURLED TOWARD THE BACK OF THE BLADE. CONTROLS: FLIGHT CONTROL AND ENGINE CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED. THE FLAPS APPEARED TO BE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. GENERAL NOTES: GEAR HANDLE - HANDLE "DOWN", FLAPS -HANDLE "UP", MIXTRUES - RICH, RT PROP LEVER - FEATHER, LT PROP LEVER - FULL "HIGH RPM", THROTTLES - BOTH "AFT", ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES - OFF, MAG SWITCHES - ON, LEFT FUEL SELECTOR - OFF, RIGHT FUEL SELECTOR - OFF, EMERGENCY CROSS-FEED LEVER - OFF (DOWN) INJURIES: THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT DID OT SUFFER ANY INJURIES. FINDINGS: THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. APPROXIMATELY 45 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS REPORTED SPILLED FROM THE RUPTURED LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK (NEVADA TEST SIDE FIRE & RESCUE REPORT). THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS FOUND TO BE EMPTY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF APPROXIMATELY 12 OUNCES OF CLEAN AVIATION 100 LL FUEL THAT WAS DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WING SUMP. STATEMENT FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (PIC) INDICATED A FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM APPROXIMATELY 1-HOUR INTO THE FLIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF THE COALDALE VOR. STATEMENT FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^(PIC PREVIOUS FLIGHT) INDICATED THAT FUEL TENDED TO DRAIN FROM THE LEFT MAIN TANK TO THE RIGHT MAIN TANK WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED ON THE GROUND FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. THIS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT AND RIGHT GEAR STRUTS WERE NOT EVEN RESULTING IN THE LEFT WING TIP BEING 12 INCHES HIGHT THAN THE RIGHT WING TIP. AS A RESULT, IT WAS HIS PRACTICE TO TURN OFF BOTH FUEL SELECTORS AND CLOSE THE CROSSFEED VALVE WHEN PARKED ON THE GROUND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LEFT A NOTE FOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REGARDING THIS ISSUE. IN ADDITION, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED A RIGHT ENGINE FAILURE IN N594DM ON 01/30/2008. A STATEMENT FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CESSNA AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR, REVEALED THAT IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR FUEL TO MOVE FROM ONE TANK TO ANOTHER WHILE PARKED UNLESS IT WAS DUE TO A COMPONENT MALFUNCTION (I.E. LEAKING VALVES). INVESTIGATION INTO THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS OF THE AIRPLANE IS CONTINUING VIA THE SUPERVISION OF NTSB. THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, TOGETHER WITH PILOT AND WITNESS STATEMENTS LEADS TO "CONTINUED FLIGHT" WITH A KNOWN MECHANICAL (FUEL) PROBLEM" AS THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1. FUEL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. 2. PILOT WAS UNABLE TO ACTIVATE RUNWAY LIGHTING AT DESERT ROCK AIRPORT.