United States of America

According to the pilot, the airplane was high and fast on final approach, because of restricted visibility in haze, and he executed a go-around. The pilot and copilot do not recall retracting the landing gear. During the second approach, the pilot stated he did not extended the gear because he was 'sure in his mind that the gear was already down'. The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane slid approximately 3,000 feet. Following the landing, the airplane caught fire under the right wing root, and the fire could not be extinguished with hand held fire extinguishers. Both pilots safely evacuated the airplane.

The crew was completing a local training flight at Pope AFB. For unknown reasons, the aircraft landed very hard, causing the nose gear to collapse. The aircraft was stopped on the runway and all 11 occupants escaped uninjured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

During a landing approach, the pilot noted that the right engine remained at a high power setting, when he moved the power levers to reduce power. He executed a missed approach and had difficulty keeping the airplane straight and level. The pilot maneuvered for a second approach to land. After landing, he could not maintain directional control of the airplane and tried to go around, but the airplane went off the end of the runway and impacted the localizer antenna. The pilot did not advise ATC of the problem nor did he declare an emergency. The Pilot's Operating Handbook stated that for a power plant control malfunction, the affected engine should be shut down, and a single engine landing should be made. The power control cable was found disconnected from the anchoring point. A safety tab was broken off the housing, allowing it to unscrew. About one month before the accident, maintenance had been performed on the right engine to correct a discrepancy about the right engine power lever being stiff. The mechanic re-rigged the right engine power cable.

During preflight, the pilot noticed a discrepancy between his requested fuel load and what the fuel gauges indicated. He decided the right fuel quantity gauge was accurate and the left fuel quantity gauge was inaccurate, and started a multiple leg flight. Based on the right fuel gauge indication at an away airport, the pilot elected to not refuel prior to starting his return flight. About 50 miles from the destination, the left and right low fuel quantity lights illuminated, and the right fuel gauge indicated 390 pounds of fuel onboard. The pilot elected to continue to his destination. A few minutes later, both engines lost power. A forced landing was made in an open school field. Before coming to rest, the left wing struck a football training device, and the outboard 4 feet of the wing was separated from the airplane. Post accident investigation revealed, both fuel tanks, collector tanks, fuel lines, and filters were empty. When electric power was applied, the left fuel gauge indicated '0' and the right fuel gauge indicated 290 pounds of fuel remaining. The pilot reported that he should have monitored his fuel supply closer and landed at the first sign of any inconsistencies in fuel quantity readings.