What happened
A crew consisting of the aircraft owner and a second pilot, who was rated for the specific aircraft, began a 1,700-mile ferry flight. During the initial 250-mile segment of the journey, the aircraft type experienced issues with the right engine, necessitating a landing at an intermediate airport. Following the replacement of the right engine, the flight resumed. Approximately twenty minutes into this second leg, the newly installed right engine suffered a loss of power. The pilot attempted to maintain control by applying maximum power to the left engine; however, the crew was unable to feather the right propeller. The aircraft subsequently struck trees before reaching a field for a forced landing, after which the wreckage caught fire.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the aircraft had not undergone an annual inspection or flown for five years, with the exception of three recent maintenance flights totaling only 1.5 hours. Physical evidence showed chordwise scratches on the right propeller blades, while the left propeller blades remained unmarked. Analysis of the wreckage identified three propeller strikes in the ground near the right engine's ground scar, whereas no strikes were found near the left engine's ground scar. Additionally, the right engine mixture was found locked in the auto-cruise position, while the left engine mixture was locked in the emergency position. The investigation noted that the single-engine rate of climb for this aircraft is 350 feet per minute with a feathered propeller, but drops significantly to 10 feet per minute with a windmilling propeller.