NTSB Factual Report

On October 12, 2006, at 1030 mountain daylight time, a Beech E-55, N94LL, experienced a loss of power in both engines and overran the runway during the ensuing forced landing at Ontario Municipal Airport, Ontario, Oregon. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the airline transport pilot and his passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross country flight. The flight originated from Friday Harbor, Washington, about 0730 Pacific daylight time with an intended destination of Nampa, Idaho.

According to the pilot, he departed thinking the airplane had 115 gallons of fuel aboard, when it had 55 gallons of fuel aboard. The shortfall of 60 gallons was the result of a refueling request that the pilot made to a fixed base operator that did not take place and that the pilot did not verify had taken place. Fuel exhaustion occurred in both engines when the airplane was approximately 7,500 feet above the Ontario Airport. The pilot spiraled down over the airport and entered the pattern for runway 14. He intentionally elected "to err on the side of landing long and not have any risk of being short." On short final, the airplane was "clearly high and fast, pretty much as expected, but not slowing, which was not expected." The airplane touched down approximately 1,000 feet prior to the end of the runway, overran the runway end, impacted a concrete irrigation channel about 350 feet from the runway end, and came to a stop approximately 200 feet past the channel.

NTSB Probable Cause

The dual loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to adequately determine the amount of fuel aboard the airplane during his preflight preparation. A contributing factor was the pilot's misjudgment of distance/speed during the forced landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.