What happened
During a night instrument approach under visual meteorological conditions, a private pilot operating a multi-engine airplane experienced a total loss of power in the right engine approximately 1.3 nautical miles from the final approach fix. Following the engine failure, the pilot notified air traffic control of the situation roughly 73 seconds later. The pilot subsequently reported an inability to activate the runway's pilot-controlled lighting system.
In the final radio communication, the pilot indicated an intention to perform a missed approach. Radar data showed the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 450 feet above ground level with a groundspeed of 72 knots just before the accident. The aircraft struck the ground in a steep, vertical, nose-down attitude roughly 0.5 nautical miles from the departure end of the runway. At the time of impact, the landing gear and flaps were in the extended position, and the right propeller had not been feathered. There were no fatalities reported among the crew, though the impact was severe.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage and onboard data revealed that the pilot did not perform the required immediate actions to secure the failed right engine. While the left engine remained operational until impact, the aircraft was in a high-drag configuration with gear and flaps extended, which likely prevented a successful climb during the attempted go-around. This configuration led the aircraft to exceed its critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.
Regarding fuel management, although sufficient total fuel was on board, the pilot may have inadvertently moved the right fuel selector to an incorrect position or exhausted the right auxiliary tank, leading to fuel starvation in the right engine. Furthermore, the pilot's inability to activate the runway lighting may have been due to an error in selecting the correct radio frequency. It was also noted that the published instrument approach procedure did not authorize night landings at this specific location, and the pilot did not indicate an intention to divert to an alternative airport.