Narrative:

On the night of april/wed/03 at approximately xa:50 local time, on a trip segment from ZZZ to ZZZ1 airport on a king air model A90 an emergency was declared to ZZZ2 approach control on frequency. The reason for the incident was a dual engine flameout due to fuel starvation caused by failure of the left fuel transfer pump during flight. At some point during the flight and past of the point of no return I noticed that the left nacelle tank was not being refilled by the wing tank, I turned the left transfer pump off and then on to reset the system, but with no success the left no transfer light came on indicating failure of that pump meaning that fuel was not being transfered to the nacelle with assistance of a pump, but by gravity. At this point I felt uncomfortable with this situation and then began to study the situation and look for options. The best solution for this problem was to find the nearest suitable airport and land as soon as possible. My position was just a few miles south of ZZZ3 airport, which is a good airport, but due to the WX at that time in the area it was not the best option for me to try a landing. WX unexpectedly got worst and I had to deviate south and descend from 15500 ft to 9500 to maintain VFR minimums. My intentions were to get to the coast where excellent VFR conditions prevailed many options for suitable airports existed. During my deviation the left nacelle got empty and I had to start a crossfeed procedure even though I still had fuel on the left wing tanks. When a crossfeed was applied the fuel loads on the right side of the fuel system were the nacelle almost full and the wing over 1/4 full. The fuel consumption on the right nacelle was so high that it seemed to me that the right transfer pump could not keep up with such a high demand, so the right nacelle started to run out of fuel with fuel still on the right wing tank. In a desperate attempt to keep both engines running I reduced my fuel flow to help the transfer pump get fuel to the nacelle. Being the situation I did not descend from 9500 ft as precaution in the event of a flameout and to help minimize the fuel flow increase encountered at lower altitudes. At about 5 miles southwest of ZZZ1 both engines flamed out and I declared an emergency with approach. The controller gave me at least three options for landing and I chose ZZZ1 due to my altitude and familiarity with that airport. I flew over ZZZ1 at about 6000 ft and entered a left downwind leg to runway 5, an approach and landing was made with no other difficulties. After landing I contacted the tower over the radio and requested no other assistance, but a tow to clear the airplane out of the runway. This may have been prevented in many ways, but I am sure of one thing and it is that the system is not equipped with the proper instrumentation to indicate the pilot of a continuous flow or rate of fuel transfer, for example a flow meter indicator or a pressure indicator, to detect possible malfunctions in the system, instead it only has a light that will inform when the system is already inoperative. In addition to and after studying the situation it might have been advisable to shutdown one engine and proceed on a single engine configuration to a suitable airport where a precautionary landing could be made to prevent running out of fuel. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated both engines flamed out from fuel starvation and after landing the tanks were stuck and the findings were the left tank had 30 gallons and the right tank had 15 gallons of unusable fuel. The reporter said the only indication of the transfer pump failing was a no transfer light indicating no transfer of fuel to the nacelle tank. The reporter stated this airplane has no engine fuel flow indications or fuel pressure indicators and needs a system to detect fuel flow problems. The reporter said it is a known fact by anyone flying a beech A90 the unusable fuel in a wing tank with failure of the transfer pump is much greater than the manufacturers specifications.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH A90 IN CRUISE AT 9500 FT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. BOTH ENGS FLAMED OUT PRIOR TO LNDG. CAUSED BY A FAILED L TANK TRANSFER PUMP.

Narrative: ON THE NIGHT OF APRIL/WED/03 AT APPROX XA:50 LOCAL TIME, ON A TRIP SEGMENT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 ARPT ON A KING AIR MODEL A90 AN EMER WAS DECLARED TO ZZZ2 APCH CTL ON FREQ. THE REASON FOR THE INCIDENT WAS A DUAL ENG FLAMEOUT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE L FUEL TRANSFER PUMP DURING FLT. AT SOME POINT DURING THE FLT AND PAST OF THE POINT OF NO RETURN I NOTICED THAT THE L NACELLE TANK WAS NOT BEING REFILLED BY THE WING TANK, I TURNED THE L TRANSFER PUMP OFF AND THEN ON TO RESET THE SYSTEM, BUT WITH NO SUCCESS THE L NO TRANSFER LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING FAILURE OF THAT PUMP MEANING THAT FUEL WAS NOT BEING TRANSFERED TO THE NACELLE WITH ASSISTANCE OF A PUMP, BUT BY GRAVITY. AT THIS POINT I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS SIT AND THEN BEGAN TO STUDY THE SIT AND LOOK FOR OPTIONS. THE BEST SOLUTION FOR THIS PROB WAS TO FIND THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT AND LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MY POSITION WAS JUST A FEW MILES S OF ZZZ3 ARPT, WHICH IS A GOOD ARPT, BUT DUE TO THE WX AT THAT TIME IN THE AREA IT WAS NOT THE BEST OPTION FOR ME TO TRY A LNDG. WX UNEXPECTEDLY GOT WORST AND I HAD TO DEVIATE S AND DSND FROM 15500 FT TO 9500 TO MAINTAIN VFR MINIMUMS. MY INTENTIONS WERE TO GET TO THE COAST WHERE EXCELLENT VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED MANY OPTIONS FOR SUITABLE ARPTS EXISTED. DURING MY DEVIATION THE L NACELLE GOT EMPTY AND I HAD TO START A CROSSFEED PROC EVEN THOUGH I STILL HAD FUEL ON THE L WING TANKS. WHEN A CROSSFEED WAS APPLIED THE FUEL LOADS ON THE R SIDE OF THE FUEL SYS WERE THE NACELLE ALMOST FULL AND THE WING OVER 1/4 FULL. THE FUEL CONSUMPTION ON THE R NACELLE WAS SO HIGH THAT IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE R TRANSFER PUMP COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH SUCH A HIGH DEMAND, SO THE R NACELLE STARTED TO RUN OUT OF FUEL WITH FUEL STILL ON THE R WING TANK. IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO KEEP BOTH ENGS RUNNING I REDUCED MY FUEL FLOW TO HELP THE TRANSFER PUMP GET FUEL TO THE NACELLE. BEING THE SIT I DID NOT DSND FROM 9500 FT AS PRECAUTION IN THE EVENT OF A FLAMEOUT AND TO HELP MINIMIZE THE FUEL FLOW INCREASE ENCOUNTERED AT LOWER ALTITUDES. AT ABOUT 5 MILES SW OF ZZZ1 BOTH ENGS FLAMED OUT AND I DECLARED AN EMER WITH APCH. THE CTLR GAVE ME AT LEAST THREE OPTIONS FOR LNDG AND I CHOSE ZZZ1 DUE TO MY ALT AND FAMILIARITY WITH THAT ARPT. I FLEW OVER ZZZ1 AT ABOUT 6000 FT AND ENTERED A L DOWNWIND LEG TO RWY 5, AN APCH AND LNDG WAS MADE WITH NO OTHER DIFFICULTIES. AFTER LNDG I CONTACTED THE TWR OVER THE RADIO AND REQUESTED NO OTHER ASSISTANCE, BUT A TOW TO CLR THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE RWY. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IN MANY WAYS, BUT I AM SURE OF ONE THING AND IT IS THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE PROPER INSTRUMENTATION TO INDICATE THE PLT OF A CONTINUOUS FLOW OR RATE OF FUEL TRANSFER, FOR EXAMPLE A FLOW METER INDICATOR OR A PRESSURE INDICATOR, TO DETECT POSSIBLE MALFUNCTIONS IN THE SYSTEM, INSTEAD IT ONLY HAS A LIGHT THAT WILL INFORM WHEN THE SYSTEM IS ALREADY INOP. IN ADDITION TO AND AFTER STUDYING THE SIT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ADVISABLE TO SHUTDOWN ONE ENG AND PROCEED ON A SINGLE ENG CONFIGURATION TO A SUITABLE ARPT WHERE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG COULD BE MADE TO PREVENT RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED BOTH ENGS FLAMED OUT FROM FUEL STARVATION AND AFTER LNDG THE TANKS WERE STUCK AND THE FINDINGS WERE THE L TANK HAD 30 GALLONS AND THE R TANK HAD 15 GALLONS OF UNUSABLE FUEL. THE RPTR SAID THE ONLY INDICATION OF THE TRANSFER PUMP FAILING WAS A NO TRANSFER LIGHT INDICATING NO TRANSFER OF FUEL TO THE NACELLE TANK. THE RPTR STATED THIS AIRPLANE HAS NO ENG FUEL FLOW INDICATIONS OR FUEL PRESSURE INDICATORS AND NEEDS A SYSTEM TO DETECT FUEL FLOW PROBS. THE RPTR SAID IT IS A KNOWN FACT BY ANYONE FLYING A BEECH A90 THE UNUSABLE FUEL IN A WING TANK WITH FAILURE OF THE TRANSFER PUMP IS MUCH GREATER THAN THE MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS.

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.