Accident Convair CV-580 N582HG,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 323162

Date:	Thursday 6 December 2001
Time:	22:58
Type:	Convair CV-580
Owner/operator:	Trans-Air-Link - TAL
Registration:	N582HG
MSN:	46
Year of manufacture:	1953
Total airframe hrs:	75103 hours
Engine model:	Allison 501-D13
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Sunny Isles Beach, FL - United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL (FLL/KFLL)
Destination airport:	Opa-locka Airport, FL (OPF/KOPF)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
CV-580 N582HG was forced to divert to Fort Lauderdale, FL after a cargo flight from Nassau due to U.S. Customs being closed at Opa-locka and landed there at 19:40. After clearing customs, the co-pilot checked fuel magna sticks on each wing. Each fuel tank contained approximately 1,100 pounds of fuel; no fuel was added. Before departure to Opa-Locka, the fuel gauges were checked against the quantity as indicated by the magna sticks; the gauges were indicating approximately 200 pounds more than the magna sticks. The co-pilot stated that a total of 1,900 pounds of fuel were required for the flight from the FLL airport to OPF. The flight departed runway 09L at 22:50, and was cleared to climb to 2,000 feet on a heading of 100 degrees. The flight proceeded over the ocean for approximately 1 minute then air traffic control (ATC) advised the flight crew to maintain a heading of 270 degrees. While flying westbound the right engine was secured as a precaution because of fluctuation of the rpm and fuel gauges. The flight continued and the captain began "transferring" fuel from the right fuel tank to the left engine. The co-pilot advised ATC of the situation and requested a priority handling to the OPF. A short time after securing the right engine, the left engine tachometer began fluctuating as the right had but to a lesser extent, then the rpm dropped. The co-pilot advised the pilot to fly to the ocean and ATC was advised that the flight was going to ditch. A witness observed the airplane flying southeast bound towards the ocean and when near the shoreline, the airplane banked to the right flying southbound paralleling the beach. The airplane was ditched east of a buoy and remained floating after the ditching.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The inadequate dispatch of the airplane by company personnel prior to the first leg of the flight due to failure of company personnel to prepare a new flight release and weight and balance after considerable time on the ground with the engines operating. Also causal, was the inadequate preflight of the airplane by the captain by which he failed to note the low level of fuel in the fuel tanks before departure resulting in total loss of engine power of both engines due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent ditching of the airplane. A finding in the accident was the inaccurate fuel quantity gauges."

Accident investigation: