What happened
While cruising at flight level 210, the pilot of a multi-engine airplane declared an emergency after experiencing issues with the right engine. The flight was diverted to a nearby non-towered airfield located approximately 10 miles from the aircraft's position. During the descent, the pilot confirmed that the right engine had been shut down. The aircraft performed orbits around the diversion airport before initiating a left traffic pattern approach for runway 22.
As the aircraft progressed through the traffic pattern, it was tracked descending through various altitudes. While the aircraft's manual suggests maintaining excessive altitude during single-engine operations, radar data indicated the plane was at 700 feet msl and roughly 3 miles from the runway threshold. During the approach, the aircraft rolled and struck trees, coming to rest inverted in a wooded area 0.8 miles north of the runway. A significant post-crash fire destroyed much of the aircraft, including the cockpit and the left wing. Because of the intensity of the fire, it was impossible to determine the survivability of the occupants.
Findings
An examination of the airframe and the left engine showed no mechanical failures that would have prevented a normal landing. However, investigators determined that the right engine failed because the camshaft gear suffered a fatigue fracture on a single gear tooth. This failure caused the camshaft to stop rotating. The subsequent loss of gear teeth was attributed to overstress and interference contact with the crankshaft gear. While spalling was noted on an intact tooth, indicating abnormal loading, the specific cause of that loading remained unidentified.