What happened
During an air taxi flight, the right engine of the aircraft lost power as the plane crossed the departure end of the runway. At that time, the pilot had already retracted the landing gear and had begun the process of propeller feathering. The aircraft subsequently performed a wheels-up landing in a corn field located approximately 140 feet from the departure end of the runway and 400 feet to the right of the runway centerline.
The investigation
Investigators conducted a visual examination of the propeller, which showed no evidence that propeller feathering had occurred. The propeller control was found in the full increase RPM position. Following the pilot's suspicion of fuel contamination due to refueling at the airport the previous day, fuel samples were sent to three independent laboratories; however, all tests reported no anomalies. Additionally, a partial disassembly and examination of the engine revealed no mechanical discrepancies.