Narrative:

I left cruise altitude (20000') and commenced letdown to centennial. At 15000' both engines failed simultaneously. I declared an emergency and requested nearest airport with lights. ATC vectored me to calahan airport, an airport with pilot controled lighting. The runway lights would not come on in response to my keying the microphone. I was able to restart my right engine and circled in an attempt to locate the airport. Unable to locate the airport, I landed on a roadway. During the landing roll, the right wing tip of the aircraft struck a fence. I turned the aircraft away from the fence. The right main gear then dropped into a SID ditch and collapsed. The aircraft skidded to a halt. There were no personal injuries to myself or my passenger. The cause of the simultaneous engine failures has not been determined at this time. I had departed houston, tx with full gas tanks. My computations indicated that I had adequate fuel for the flight. If the lights on calahan airport had been functional, I could have made a successful landing. ATC was not aware that the lights were not functioning when they vectored me to that airport. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter still does not know, or perhaps I unwilling to reveal, the cause of the simultaneous double engine failure. The reporter indicated that, although he was able to effect an engine restart on the left engine, he was concerned that there might be a subsequent failure, thus he elected to continue with a precautionary off airport approach. At the time of the power loss, the reporter selected both fuel pumps on. Indicator lights for both pump switches remained illuminated, indicating that fuel pumps were selected on, but that no fuel was flowing. The reporter did not switch the pumps off, and subsequently the left pump light extinguished and a restart attempt on the left engine was successful. The right pump light did not extinguish, so the reporter elected not to unfeather that engine at low altitude and attempt restart. The reporter commended the actions of the center controller, remarking that the controller offered the position and distance to 3 alternate emergency airports. The reporter chose the closest, but was unable to bring up the airport lights with the pilot controled lighting. The FAA is not pursuing investigation or enforcement at this time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMT TWIN LOSES BOTH ENGINES SIMULTANEOUSLY IN DESCENT, EFFECTS RESTART ON ONE, BUT CONTINUES TO AN OFF ARPT NIGHT EMERGENCY LNDG.

Narrative: I LEFT CRUISE ALT (20000') AND COMMENCED LETDOWN TO CENTENNIAL. AT 15000' BOTH ENGS FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY. I DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED NEAREST ARPT WITH LIGHTS. ATC VECTORED ME TO CALAHAN ARPT, AN ARPT WITH PLT CTLED LIGHTING. THE RWY LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON IN RESPONSE TO MY KEYING THE MIC. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART MY RIGHT ENG AND CIRCLED IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOCATE THE ARPT. UNABLE TO LOCATE THE ARPT, I LANDED ON A ROADWAY. DURING THE LNDG ROLL, THE RIGHT WING TIP OF THE ACFT STRUCK A FENCE. I TURNED THE ACFT AWAY FROM THE FENCE. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR THEN DROPPED INTO A SID DITCH AND COLLAPSED. THE ACFT SKIDDED TO A HALT. THERE WERE NO PERSONAL INJURIES TO MYSELF OR MY PAX. THE CAUSE OF THE SIMULTANEOUS ENG FAILURES HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. I HAD DEPARTED HOUSTON, TX WITH FULL GAS TANKS. MY COMPUTATIONS INDICATED THAT I HAD ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE FLT. IF THE LIGHTS ON CALAHAN ARPT HAD BEEN FUNCTIONAL, I COULD HAVE MADE A SUCCESSFUL LNDG. ATC WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE LIGHTS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING WHEN THEY VECTORED ME TO THAT ARPT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR STILL DOES NOT KNOW, OR PERHAPS I UNWILLING TO REVEAL, THE CAUSE OF THE SIMULTANEOUS DOUBLE ENG FAILURE. THE RPTR INDICATED THAT, ALTHOUGH HE WAS ABLE TO EFFECT AN ENG RESTART ON THE LEFT ENG, HE WAS CONCERNED THAT THERE MIGHT BE A SUBSEQUENT FAILURE, THUS HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE WITH A PRECAUTIONARY OFF ARPT APCH. AT THE TIME OF THE PWR LOSS, THE RPTR SELECTED BOTH FUEL PUMPS ON. INDICATOR LIGHTS FOR BOTH PUMP SWITCHES REMAINED ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THAT FUEL PUMPS WERE SELECTED ON, BUT THAT NO FUEL WAS FLOWING. THE RPTR DID NOT SWITCH THE PUMPS OFF, AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE LEFT PUMP LIGHT EXTINGUISHED AND A RESTART ATTEMPT ON THE LEFT ENG WAS SUCCESSFUL. THE RIGHT PUMP LIGHT DID NOT EXTINGUISH, SO THE RPTR ELECTED NOT TO UNFEATHER THAT ENG AT LOW ALT AND ATTEMPT RESTART. THE RPTR COMMENDED THE ACTIONS OF THE CENTER CTLR, REMARKING THAT THE CTLR OFFERED THE POS AND DISTANCE TO 3 ALTERNATE EMER ARPTS. THE RPTR CHOSE THE CLOSEST, BUT WAS UNABLE TO BRING UP THE ARPT LIGHTS WITH THE PLT CTLED LIGHTING. THE FAA IS NOT PURSUING INVESTIGATION OR ENFORCEMENT AT THIS TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.