Flight Details
The pilot, the sole occupant, was conducting a delivery flight from Europe to the United States, with planned stops in Iceland and Greenland. She departed from Reykjavik Airport, bound for Narsarsuaq in Greenland.
Incident Sequence
Eight minutes after departure, the pilot advised air traffic control that her portable GPS had fallen to the floor and she was unable to locate it. In response, she decided to divert to Keflavik Airport. Less than five minutes later, while descending, the right engine failed. For reasons that remain unknown, the pilot did not feather the propeller and did not attempt to restart the engine.
Accident
The drag from the unfeathered propeller and the resulting loss of speed caused the aircraft to lose altitude. It crashed near the village of Njarðvík, approximately 5 kilometers east of Keflavik Airport. The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot was seriously injured.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the loss of power on the right engine was caused by the pilot, who probably inadvertently reduced the mixture ratio of the right engine while trying to find the portable GPS. For unknown reasons, she did not feather the propeller, which increased drag and reduced speed and lift. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 297 kilograms above the maximum takeoff weight, which was considered a contributing factor.