Narrative:

While en route from ads to 3CK to look at a potential aircraft purchase, I was monitoring our fuel status from the back seat while the engines ran off the auxiliary tanks. The gauges were set on auxiliary also. I twice prompted the pilot to switch tanks since we were getting very low on the gauges but he brushed my concern off by stating 'who has more time in a baron!' finally when the engines started to falter he quickly scrambled to switch tanks to the mains. It was too late, both engines died. I don't know if the engines vapor locked at this point or what, but a successful restart didn't happen. There was a multi-engine private pilot sitting right seat. She took no action so I called for the poh. She got it out and gave it to me. I proceeded to call out the emergency restart procedure to the pilot, but it was in vain. We called center and declared an emergency. We were over the forests and hills of southern missouri, so we executed an emergency landing on the northbound lanes of interstate 90 north of springfield, mo. The landing was uneventful and the aircraft and passenger were uninjured. As we sat there blocking both lanes of northbound traffic, we waited for the emergency vehicles to arrive. They did and 4 hours later so did an FAA investigator. To my utter amazement he was extremely nice and even let the pilot take the airplane back off the highway and fly to lbo to pick us back up. I thought that the min he saw the airplane with 2 full tanks and 2 bone dry tanks he would know exactly what happened and yank the pilot's certificate. Not so. We proceeded on to chicago. My own belief of what happened is this. I think the pilot thought he knew the airplane better than he did. He planned on milking the tanks for every drop of fuel then when the engines showed signs of fuel starvation, he thought he could quickly switch to the full tank sustaining the engines. I truly believe the engines stopped due to fuel starvation/exhaustion. Why they would not restart is beyond me. The propellers were windmilling and we followed the restart procedure. To this day everyone the pilot talks to about it he tells them that the low batteries and bad alternator were the cause of this. To me this is preposterous, and even with my minimal mechanical knowledge I know that once an engine is going, the batteries and alternator are out of the loop. This story of bad batteries and alternator is the one he told the FAA also. That is why I couldn't believe they actually listened to this story and did not take action!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT PAX RPT REGARDING PF ALLOWING AUX TANKS TO RUN COMPLETELY DRY AND RESULTING IN INABILITY TO RESTART WHEN ENGS QUIT. EMER LNDG ON NEARBY HWY. EMER VEHICLES AND FAA INSPECTOR ARRIVE. ACFT A BE55.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE FROM ADS TO 3CK TO LOOK AT A POTENTIAL ACFT PURCHASE, I WAS MONITORING OUR FUEL STATUS FROM THE BACK SEAT WHILE THE ENGS RAN OFF THE AUX TANKS. THE GAUGES WERE SET ON AUX ALSO. I TWICE PROMPTED THE PLT TO SWITCH TANKS SINCE WE WERE GETTING VERY LOW ON THE GAUGES BUT HE BRUSHED MY CONCERN OFF BY STATING 'WHO HAS MORE TIME IN A BARON!' FINALLY WHEN THE ENGS STARTED TO FALTER HE QUICKLY SCRAMBLED TO SWITCH TANKS TO THE MAINS. IT WAS TOO LATE, BOTH ENGS DIED. I DON'T KNOW IF THE ENGS VAPOR LOCKED AT THIS POINT OR WHAT, BUT A SUCCESSFUL RESTART DIDN'T HAPPEN. THERE WAS A MULTI-ENG PVT PLT SITTING R SEAT. SHE TOOK NO ACTION SO I CALLED FOR THE POH. SHE GOT IT OUT AND GAVE IT TO ME. I PROCEEDED TO CALL OUT THE EMER RESTART PROC TO THE PLT, BUT IT WAS IN VAIN. WE CALLED CTR AND DECLARED AN EMER. WE WERE OVER THE FORESTS AND HILLS OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI, SO WE EXECUTED AN EMER LNDG ON THE NBOUND LANES OF INTERSTATE 90 N OF SPRINGFIELD, MO. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND THE ACFT AND PAX WERE UNINJURED. AS WE SAT THERE BLOCKING BOTH LANES OF NBOUND TFC, WE WAITED FOR THE EMER VEHICLES TO ARRIVE. THEY DID AND 4 HRS LATER SO DID AN FAA INVESTIGATOR. TO MY UTTER AMAZEMENT HE WAS EXTREMELY NICE AND EVEN LET THE PLT TAKE THE AIRPLANE BACK OFF THE HWY AND FLY TO LBO TO PICK US BACK UP. I THOUGHT THAT THE MIN HE SAW THE AIRPLANE WITH 2 FULL TANKS AND 2 BONE DRY TANKS HE WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND YANK THE PLT'S CERTIFICATE. NOT SO. WE PROCEEDED ON TO CHICAGO. MY OWN BELIEF OF WHAT HAPPENED IS THIS. I THINK THE PLT THOUGHT HE KNEW THE AIRPLANE BETTER THAN HE DID. HE PLANNED ON MILKING THE TANKS FOR EVERY DROP OF FUEL THEN WHEN THE ENGS SHOWED SIGNS OF FUEL STARVATION, HE THOUGHT HE COULD QUICKLY SWITCH TO THE FULL TANK SUSTAINING THE ENGS. I TRULY BELIEVE THE ENGS STOPPED DUE TO FUEL STARVATION/EXHAUSTION. WHY THEY WOULD NOT RESTART IS BEYOND ME. THE PROPS WERE WINDMILLING AND WE FOLLOWED THE RESTART PROC. TO THIS DAY EVERYONE THE PLT TALKS TO ABOUT IT HE TELLS THEM THAT THE LOW BATTERIES AND BAD ALTERNATOR WERE THE CAUSE OF THIS. TO ME THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS, AND EVEN WITH MY MINIMAL MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE I KNOW THAT ONCE AN ENG IS GOING, THE BATTERIES AND ALTERNATOR ARE OUT OF THE LOOP. THIS STORY OF BAD BATTERIES AND ALTERNATOR IS THE ONE HE TOLD THE FAA ALSO. THAT IS WHY I COULDN'T BELIEVE THEY ACTUALLY LISTENED TO THIS STORY AND DID NOT TAKE ACTION!

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.