What happened
Witnesses observed the airplane on a downwind leg during its approach for landing. As the aircraft began a right turn onto a base leg, one engine failed. This loss of power caused the airplane to roll, and the nose dropped into a near vertical attitude. The wreckage examination confirmed that the aircraft impacted the ground in this same vertical orientation.
While the pilot had planned for an estimated en route time of 5.4 hours, the actual flight duration was 4.5 hours. This duration matched the calculated fuel endurance of the aircraft, which possessed a 93 gallon fuel capacity.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found no evidence that fuel had spilled from the left wing tanks. An examination of the right engine showed that the right propeller was still rotating at the time of impact. Additionally, there was minimal fuel spillage observed from the right wing tanks. The pilot did not report any mechanical issues with the aircraft prior to the incident.