A review of the radio communications between the HEF air traffic control tower (ATCT) and the accident pilot indicated that he planned to depart from runway 16L. The ATCT controller informed the pilot that another aircraft was on a "2 mile final," and cleared him for departure with "no delay." The pilot acknowledged the clearance. Approximately 1 minute and 10 seconds after the takeoff clearance was issued, a communication presumed to be from the accident airplane stated "Manassas tower, my fuel cap is off, emergency landing." Ten seconds later, the pilot transmitted "Manassas tower, two yankee tango, I'm spilling fuel can I land on three four ri..." Approximately 10 seconds later, the ATCT attempted to communicate with the airplane, but no further transmissions from the airplane were received. Both of the ATCT controllers saw the airplane start to turn, and then descend "fast" into trees southeast of the airport.
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The airplane was equipped with two fuel tanks. The 53-gallon main tank was located in the leading edge of the wing, and extended spanwise through the wing carry-through structure. The header tank was located between the cockpit and the engine compartment. The fuel gauge for the main tank was located on the instrument panel, and the fuel gauge for the header tank was mounted externally just forward of the windshield.
The airplane was equipped with three fuel filler ports. All three ports were placarded with "100 OCTANE LOW LEAD ONLY" decals. All three filler caps were the same flush-fitting model. Each cap consisted of three major components; a cap, a three-lobed retainer, and a lever assembly. Each cap nested into its respective tank filler neck sleeve, which had three cutouts that conformed to the lobes on the cap retainer. A gasket was installed on each cap to provide a seal between the cap and the filler neck sleeve. A metal braided cable, approximately 12 inches long and 1/32 inch diameter, served as a lanyard that attached each cap to its respective sleeve. The header tank fuel cap was placarded with a "10 GALS" decal, and each main tank cap was placarded with a "26.5 GALS" decal.
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According to information provided by Lockheed Martin, the SFRA flight plan was filed to the "FLUKY Gate" of the SFRA, with an enroute time of 7 minutes. The flight plan indicated that the airplane had 4 hours of fuel on board at the time of departure. The pilot requested and was provided a weather briefing for a flight from HEF to HWY, located 12 miles southwest of HEF.
