What happened
While cruising at 19,000 feet MSL, the pilot notified air traffic control of an emergency due to a loss of engine power and requested a diversion to an airport located approximately five miles south of the aircraft's position. Flight tracking data and ADS-B records indicate that the aircraft began a descent from its cruise altitude and performed one circling maneuver around the destination airport. The final recorded position of the aircraft was at 1,250 feet MSL, roughly one mile north of the runway approach end.
During the descent, which lasted approximately 12 minutes and 45 seconds, the aircraft maintained an average descent rate of 1,392 feet per minute. Witnesses near a miniature golf course located 0.25 miles south of the runway threshold observed that the propeller was stationary. They reported seeing the aircraft enter a steep left bank, after which the nose dropped, leading to a near-vertical impact with the ground. The aircraft came to rest on a road approximately 200 feet south of the airport perimeter, suffering significant damage to the wings and fuselage.
Findings
An examination of the engine trend monitor (ETM) confirmed an engine off event occurred roughly three and a half minutes after a power check was performed at 19,100 feet. While the ETM recorded a logon message consistent with power cycling at 3,542 feet, there was no evidence of any restart attempts being made between the initial failure and the loss of power to the unit. A post-accident inspection of the airframe and engine found no mechanical defects that would have prevented normal operation.
Investigation of the flight path revealed that the pilot failed to maintain the 90-knot airspeed specified in the engine failure and power-off landing checklists. Additionally, the pilot did not follow the checklist instruction to be at 1,500 feet above the airport during the downwind leg, as the aircraft was at approximately 5,000 feet at that time. The transition from 5,000 feet to 750 feet above ground level created an unstabilized approach. It is believed the pilot may have initiated a sharp left bank to avoid ground bystanders, which caused the aircraft to exceed the critical angle of attack and enter an aerodynamic stall.