| Date: | Tuesday 20 October 1998 |
| Time: | 12:26 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft B200 King Air |
| Owner/operator: | Mallen Industries, Inc. |
| Registration: | N50PM |
| MSN: | BB-1570 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 591 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Rio Rancho, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS) |
| Atlanta-Fulton County Airport, GA (FTY/KFTY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Beechcraft B200 King Air, N50PM, was destroyed after making an emergency landing following a total loss of engine power while in cruise flight near Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The flight was operating as a personal cross-country flight, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS), at 09:30, with a filed destination of Atlanta-Fulton County Airport, GA (FTY). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
When the pilot checked the fuel gauges prior to departure they "read 600 lb each on the gauges," which he interpreted as the auxiliary tanks. He then "pressed the toggle switch down, and the needles moved to the left," leading him to believe the main tanks were full and that the airplane was "properly fueled." The pilot did not visually check the fuel tanks during the preflight.
Approximately one hour after departure from Las Vegas, while level at 33,000 feet (FL330), the aircraft experienced a failure of the right engine. The pilot notified Los Angeles Center that he needed to descend to the nearest airport. He attempted to proceed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was 50 nautical miles to the east. About five minutes later, the left engine failed. Unable to make it to the airport, he made an emergency landing in a field northwest of Albuquerque. When the aircraft touched down, the landing gear sank into the soft ground. The aircraft sustained damage to the airframe and the landing gear.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's inadequate preflight of the aircraft, resulting in fuel supply exhaustion."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Revision history:
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