What happened
The aircraft was determined to be unairworthy prior to departure due to low compression on two cylinders of the left engine. Despite this condition, a ferry permit was secured, which explicitly required the aircraft to be airworthy for the proposed flight. Records from the left engine logbook confirmed that the compression issue had not been corrected before the flight commenced.
The flight was sequenced into the traffic pattern, and the pilot requested permission to reduce airspeed. The pilot reported being on a three-mile final approach. Approximately one minute later, the flight was cleared for landing. The immediate response from the pilot indicated that the left engine had just failed. A witness observed the aircraft enter a left wing-low, nose-down attitude before impacting the ground.
The investigation
A compression check was performed on the left engine after the incident. The results revealed significant discrepancies across the cylinders: 35/80, 60/80, 10/80, 68/80, 0/80, and 60/80. These readings confirmed the severe mechanical deficiency that contributed to the in-flight failure.
Findings
The primary factor was the operation of an unairworthy aircraft with known engine defects. The ferry permit stipulated airworthiness, yet the critical compression problem remained unresolved. This led to engine failure during the approach phase, causing loss of control and impact with the ground.