Norfolk-Intl

The pilot stated that the airplane was in cruise flight at 8,000 feet MSL, when the right engine lost power. He advised ATC of the loss of power and received radar vectors toward an airport. The pilot said he maintained the best single-engine rate-of-climb speed, but the airplane's altitude 'drifted down.' When the airplane entered clouds, it began to accumulate structural icing and would not maintain sufficient altitude. The airplane impacted mountainous terrain about 16 miles northwest of the airport. The pilot stated that he had departed on the cargo flight with 5 hours of fuel on board for what he estimated to be a 2 1/2 hour flight. Also, he reported that conditions were dark and foggy, when the accident occurred. Postaccident examination of the engines and their systems revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact failure of the airframe or its systems. During a postaccident engine test run, the right engine started normally and operated satisfactorily.

The aircraft crashed during an ILS approach following an engine power loss while on an air taxi freight flight. The pilot related that at about 550 feet on the approach to runway 23 the left engine fuel pressure warning light illuminated and the left engine lost power. The pilot opened the crossfeed valve and shortly the right fuel pressure warning light illuminated followed by a loss of power on the right engine. Investigation revealed that there is one fuel gauge for the tank system and a selector switch must be activated to determine the fuel quantity in any desired tank. The pilot's action in selecting crossfeed and not closing the fuel shut off valve allowed fuel to be diverted from the operative right engine resulting in a loss of power due to fuel starvation. The pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured.