What happened
While navigating around mountainous terrain near Launceston to avoid turbulence, the crew maintained their cruising altitude before entering the airport's circuit pattern. During the turn toward the final approach, a mechanical failure occurred within the pitch-lock mechanism of the number one propeller. In response, the crew feathered the propeller.
The flight continued toward the runway using full flaps, but the pilot did not immediately increase power on the functioning engine to compensate for the loss. This resulted in an unarrested high rate of descent during the turn, leaving the aircraft at a low altitude. Although the crew attempted to manage the descent by adding power and reducing speed, they could not maintain the necessary heading for the runway.
In an attempt to overshoot the runway, the airspeed fell below the minimum control speed. As the pilot applied full power to the number two engine, the left wing dropped and struck the ground. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 740 feet from the runway threshold. The impact ruptured the fuel tanks, triggering a fire that was promptly extinguished. There were no injuries among the 23 occupants, though the aircraft was destroyed.
Findings
- A malfunction in the pitch-lock mechanism of the first propeller necessitated feathering.
- Failure to immediately increase power on the remaining engine led to an excessive rate of descent and loss of altitude.