PA-23 Apache/Geronimo Apache
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100; Flight Crew Total 7500; Flight Crew Type 5
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition
Human Factors; Aircraft
A regular flight training client of mine frequently buys and sells planes mostly for the purpose of giving his teenage son as much time in as many types as possible in preparation to meet the 1500 hour requirement for airline employment. For that reason; I have learned several types of airplanes and we frequently take trips to build the son's time. This trip was to deliver his wife and daughter to their cruise ship. In my Aztec checkout; the fuel system and fuel selector were not discussed except to make sure the selector was definitively in its detent. The fuel system diagram does in fact show inboard and outboard tanks as separate...an important detail that I missed in my hurried studying. The Senecas I had flown only offered 'on' and 'off'. I assumed; incorrectly; the Aztec was the same. [In flight] the left engine partially quit. After a moment of analysis; we opted to head straight for the nearest airport. On base or final; the right engine quit. We touched down just short of the pavement; but coasted to a stop; even rolling out far enough to turn onto a taxiway. The outboards were dry; the inboards were full. We didn't know to switch.The main contributing factor to this event was the fact that it was my first long flight in this plane. I felt pressured and rushed to squeeze in 5 hours of flight time in the week before delivering 'the girls' to their cruise. Had I been any more rushed; I would have cancelled. I was just on the edge of being able to handle it; so I made the call the day before that we would fly. Obviously; it was just a little too much for me.
PA-23 pilot reported safely landing at a nearby airport following dual engine failure after running the outboard tanks dry and not knowing how to select the inboard tanks.