Piper PA34 N294AB accident near Gulf Shores, Alabama

Probable cause

The pilot's improper preflight and in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion to the left engine and a total loss of engine power during an attempted go-around maneuver.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot departed in the twin-engine airplane with an estimated quantity of fuel. While landing at the destination airport, the airplane bounced and the pilot aborted the landing. During the subsequent climb, the left engine surged several times before it lost all power. The pilot attempted to restore left engine power by placing the auxiliary fuel pump switch to "high" and selecting "crossfeed" on the left fuel selector, but restoration of continuous engine power was unsuccessful.

When the left engine stopped producing power, the stall horn sounded, and the controls "started to buffet." The pilot said that he had "no time" to consult the emergency checklist and considered multiple forced landing areas before he chose to land straight ahead into trees. The airplane came to rest upright with substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. There was an odor of fuel at the scene, but there was no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage.

Examination and testing of the engines revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's best single-engine rate of climb given the conditions present at the time of the accident was about 280 ft per minute.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA18LA186 for the full record.