The pilot took off around 1530 to troubleshoot a landing gear anomaly. After departing the airport area, he cycled the landing gear, and upon getting questionable indications in the cockpit of gear position, he requested another aircraft confirm his landing gear configuration. Once he got the confirmation that all three wheels were down he proceeded back to the airport. About two miles from the airport and approximately 1800 feet agl, the right engine began to lose power. After troubleshooting the engine it regained some power, although he had lost some altitude. He raised the landing gear to reduce drag and entered the traffic pattern. At this point the left engine lost power, the airplane turned left, and he entered a descent to help maintain airspeed. The engine did not regain power, and the pilot had no altitude to exchange for airspeed, so he steered the airplane toward a residential street. At least two houses were struck before the airplane crash-landed on the street. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and stated there was very little evidence of fuel onboard the airplane. The pilot stated that the left engine had failed due to fuel starvation and that fuel was onboard but it was not in the right places.
June 1, 2007, Chandler, Ariz., Cessna 340A
The pilot took off around 1530 to troubleshoot a landing gear anomaly. After departing the airport area, he cycled the landing gear, and upon getting questionable indications in the cockpit of gear position, he requested another aircraft confirm his landing gear configuration. Once he got the confirmation that all three wheels were down he proceeded back to the airport.
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot experienced successive power losses in both engines after departing to troubleshoot a landing gear anomaly and confirming its proper configuration.
- With both engines failed and insufficient altitude, the pilot crash-landed the airplane onto a residential street, striking at least two houses.
- An FAA inspection found very little fuel onboard, suggesting fuel starvation, a cause the pilot attributed to fuel not being "in the right places."
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