Beech BE-76 accident near Melbourne, Florida, December 26, 2024

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were flying the multi-engine airplane on a long cross-country trip. At an intermediate stop, the pilot had the airplane serviced to a total fuel quantity of 60 gallons and estimated that the fuel consumption for the planned 3-hour return flight would be slightly more than 9 gallons per hour, per engine. What he did not realize was that the total fuel consumption displayed to him by his flight planning application was only accounting for 9 gallons per hour total, or about half of what it should have been. About 3 hours after departure, the right engine began to sputter and subsequently lost total power. After declaring a fuel emergency to air traffic control, the left engine also lost power. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger determined that they would not be able to glide the airplane to a nearby airport and they began to scan for an alternate landing location. They attempted to land in a large parking lot, but the airplane struck power lines before contacting the ground. The airplane came to rest upright on the main landing gear. The left wing was separated outboard of the left engine, and the fuselage, right wing, and empennage sustained substantial damage. A small postimpact fire ignited near the portion of the left wing that separated from the fuselage and was quickly extinguished after the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that less than 1 gallon of fuel remained in the right wing fuel tank and no fuel was present in what remained of the left wing fuel tank. There was no odor of fuel at the accident site. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power to both engines was due to the pilot exhausting the airplane’s usable fuel supply.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

Photographs from the investigation 7 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them

Photograph 1 – Overview of the Damage to the AirplanePhotograph 2 – View of the Damage to the Left Side of the AirplanePhotograph 3 – Right Side Damage and Cut Power LinePhotograph 4 – Right Wing Damage (Courtesy FAA)Photograph 5 – Left Wing Damage (Courtesy FAA)Photograph 6 – Left Wing As Found (Courtesy FAA)Photograph 7 – Repaired Wire in Relation to the Airplane (Courtesy FAA)

The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.