What happened
During a takeoff attempt at Newport, the pilot noted insufficient manifold pressure in the left engine. Following an aborted takeoff, the decision was made to ferry the aircraft to New Bedford for a mechanical inspection. Although the engines were restarted and initially appeared functional, the left engine failed while the aircraft was on a two-mile final approach to runway 05.
As the pilot attempted to feather the malfunctioning engine, a fire erupted involving both the engine and a portion of the left wing. The pilot maintained an approach speed of 125 mph with the landing gear and flaps extended. During the descent, a loud noise, described by the pilot as sounding like a snapping cable, occurred, causing the aircraft to enter a 25-degree left bank. To stabilize the flight, the pilot reduced power to the right engine to level the wings.
Shortly after leveling the wings, the aircraft struck trees located to the left of the runway. The incident resulted in two injuries.
Findings
Post-accident investigations revealed that a crack had developed along a weld seam in the left engine exhaust manifold header assembly, which is connected to the turbocharger. This failure led to an exhaust system fire. The heat from this fire caused the aileron cables, which are routed behind the left engine, to burn through and separate. This destruction of the control cables rendered the ailerons inoperable, ultimately leading to the loss of control and the subsequent collision with trees.