Incident Overview
While on approach to Fort Lauderdale, the flight crew encountered technical difficulties with the aircraft's engines. The right engine experienced an overspeed condition, while the left engine exhibited overheating. In response, the crew elected to shut down the left engine and feather its propeller.
Ditching and Rescue
Unable to maintain a safe altitude with the remaining engine power, the captain decided to ditch the aircraft offshore. The ditching was executed, and all three occupants were successfully rescued. The aircraft subsequently sank and was not recovered.
Official Findings
The probable cause of the incident was determined to be a powerplant failure for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors identified in the investigation included issues with the propeller and accessories, an uncontrollable RPM overspeed, a complete engine failure, erratic operation of the right propeller exceeding 3,000 rpm, and overheating and loss of power in the left engine.