What happened
Following a preflight inspection and a 15-minute engine run-up, a commercial pilot and a pilot-rated passenger departed on a 385-nautical mile cross-country flight to ferry a recently purchased twin-engine airplane to its new home base. Approximately 25 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 2,500 feet, the left engine lost power. The pilot chose not to secure the left engine because he believed it was still producing some power, but he decided to return to the departure airport.
During the return flight, the right engine also experienced a partial loss of power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot selected a nearby hay field for a forced landing. The aircraft cleared several powerlines before making a normal landing in the field. However, during the landing roll, the aircraft struck a 2-foot berm, which caused the nose landing gear assembly to collapse. There were no fatalities or injuries reported.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that fuel was present in the tanks. However, investigators found both water and corrosion inside the gascolators on both the left and right sides.