Event
During the en route climb, the left engine made a loud noise and lost power. The pilot retarded the throttle and turned around to return to the airport. He noticed that the engine nacelle was on fire and shut off the fuel supply. The fire appeared to extinguish. The pilot then retarded the mixture and propeller controls, which is not the proper sequence outlined in the airplane owner's manual. As a result, the propeller failed to feather. Despite full power on the right engine and maintaining best single engine rate of climb speed, the airplane descended at 200 to 250 feet per minute.
Forced Landing
The pilot made a forced wheels-down landing in an open field. During the landing, the airplane struck a terrace and the landing gear collapsed.
Post-Accident Inspection
Post-accident engine inspection disclosed a loose fuel injector supply line, as well as heat damage and a 1-1/2 inch brown stain on the clamp that attaches the tailpipe to the exhaust side of the turbocharger. Engine maintenance, requiring the removal and reattachment of fuel lines, had been performed on the airplane just prior to the flight.