Narrative:

During taxi the PIC turned on the air conditioning for the comfort of the passengers. The draw on the electrical system blew the right alternator circuit breaker. After takeoff the battery discharge was discovered and a precautionary return to departure airport was made. The battery discharge was sufficient that the gear had to be cranked down and two fly by's of the tower were made to determine the status of the land gear. An uneventful landing ensued and the aircraft was inspected by a mechanic who reset the circuit breaker. The aircraft was reloaded; but no additional fuel was taken on. On takeoff the right nose baggage door; which had been opened during the inspection; opened at rotation and the takeoff was aborted. We taxied to the run-up area and shutdown the right engine in order to safely secure the baggage door. The flight then resumed approximately 2 hours behind schedule. During the flight; several deviations for weather were requested and approved which added time to the total flight plan. Just past the mid point of the flight; the effects on the fuel situation of the return to departure airport; the aborted takeoff; and the deviations were noticed and discussed by the PIC and the aircraft owner who is also a private pilot. It was calculated that the flight could continue safely; but that IFR reserves would be compromised. At about the same time; ATC amended the clearance into our destination to include a more time-consuming arrival. This change added additional flight time to the approach. During the letdown; PIC notified ATC of minimal fuel status. 20 miles from destination the left engine experienced an interruption in power. Fuel was crossfed from the right main tank and an emergency was declared. Clearance to land on any runway was given by ATC and a high pattern was entered. On short final; both engines experience total fuel starvation. The landing was accomplished and the momentum of the aircraft was used to exit the runway and taxi to the ramp. Subsequently; 97 gal of fuel were added to the 100 gal tip tanks and 37 gal to the 40 gal aux tanks. In retrospect; this sounds like every fuel exhaustion story I have ever heard or read. Each flight should be treated as a separate occurrence and the planning and steps necessary to safely complete that flight should be done in the established order. Improper usage of the air conditioning system was the initial link in the chain of the incident. Failure to recalculate and refuel after the first failed attempt at the trip added to the problem. Abbreviating the aircraft walk around caused an aborted takeoff and use of additional fuel. Several airports were over flown enroute where additional fuel could have been taken on. Each of these events added a link that could have ended the eventual outcome. In the future; I will not shortcut any of the steps in flight planning when one flight completes and the next one is in close sequence. We were fortunate to have been close to destination when the engines quit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C414 pilot reported a chain of events that resulted in a dead stick landing because of fuel exhaustion.

Narrative: During taxi the PIC turned on the air conditioning for the comfort of the passengers. The draw on the electrical system blew the right alternator circuit breaker. After takeoff the battery discharge was discovered and a precautionary return to departure airport was made. The battery discharge was sufficient that the gear had to be cranked down and two fly by's of the Tower were made to determine the status of the land gear. An uneventful landing ensued and the aircraft was inspected by a mechanic who reset the circuit breaker. The aircraft was reloaded; but no additional fuel was taken on. On takeoff the right nose baggage door; which had been opened during the inspection; opened at rotation and the takeoff was aborted. We taxied to the run-up area and shutdown the right engine in order to safely secure the baggage door. The flight then resumed approximately 2 hours behind schedule. During the flight; several deviations for weather were requested and approved which added time to the total flight plan. Just past the mid point of the flight; the effects on the fuel situation of the return to departure airport; the aborted takeoff; and the deviations were noticed and discussed by the PIC and the Aircraft Owner who is also a private pilot. It was calculated that the flight could continue safely; but that IFR reserves would be compromised. At about the same time; ATC amended the clearance into our destination to include a more time-consuming arrival. This change added additional flight time to the approach. During the letdown; PIC notified ATC of minimal fuel status. 20 miles from destination the left engine experienced an interruption in power. Fuel was crossfed from the right main tank and an emergency was declared. Clearance to land on any runway was given by ATC and a high pattern was entered. On short final; both engines experience total fuel starvation. The landing was accomplished and the momentum of the aircraft was used to exit the runway and taxi to the ramp. Subsequently; 97 gal of fuel were added to the 100 gal tip tanks and 37 gal to the 40 gal aux tanks. In retrospect; this sounds like every fuel exhaustion story I have ever heard or read. Each flight should be treated as a separate occurrence and the planning and steps necessary to safely complete that flight should be done in the established order. Improper usage of the air conditioning system was the initial link in the chain of the incident. Failure to recalculate and refuel after the first failed attempt at the trip added to the problem. Abbreviating the aircraft walk around caused an aborted takeoff and use of additional fuel. Several airports were over flown enroute where additional fuel could have been taken on. Each of these events added a link that could have ended the eventual outcome. In the future; I will not shortcut any of the steps in flight planning when one flight completes and the next one is in close sequence. We were fortunate to have been close to destination when the engines quit.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.