What happened
During a flight from Hamilton to Lajes, Azores Islands, an aircraft cruising at 11,000 feet encountered significant mechanical issues. The incident began when the right engine's manifold pressure fell from 30 to 17 inches. In response to this loss of power, the pilot initiated a return to Hamilton, Bermuda.
Approximately twenty minutes into the diversion, the right engine experienced a backfire, though the manifold pressure rose slightly to 20 inches. To manage the situation, the crew shut down the right engine and feathered the propeller. However, less than one hour later, while descending to 3,000 feet, the left engine began emitting smoke and suffered a loss of oil.
Faced with the failure of both engines, the crew performed an emergency ditching in the Atlantic Ocean, near the 'Echo' weather station located east of the Bermuda archipelago. The aircraft subsequently sank. All ten crew members survived the accident and were recovered by the personnel of the USCGC Coos Bay.
Findings
The primary factor in the loss of the aircraft was a double engine failure occurring during the diversion flight.