PIPER SEMINOLE PLT HAS ENG SLOWLY LOSE PWR AND FAIL IN TOTAL IMC. DIVERTS AND LANDS.

Narrative

COMPLETE R ENG FAILURE; PARTIAL L ENG FAILURE RESULTING IN AN EMER LNDG IN RHI; WI; IN IMC AND LIGHT RIME ICE CONDITIONS. ALT 12000 FT MSL AND TEMP WAS MINUS 21 DEGS C. CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED BEFORE AND DURING ENG ROUGHNESS WITH LITTLE RESULT. THE L ENG REGAINED FULL PWR ABOUT 700 TO 1000 FT AGL. THE AIR ALOFT SEEMED SATURATED. THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE MOULDING AROUND THE WINDSHIELD AND THE AIR BLOWING IN WOULD TURN TO SNOW AFTER ENTERING THE COCKPIT. WE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE R ENG AT LEAST 12 TIMES BEFORE FEATHERING. THANKS TO MSP CTR; WE WERE ABLE TO FIND AN ARPT WITH HIGH ENOUGH CEILINGS TO LAND WHICH WAS RHINELANDER; WI. AS WE APCHED THE RWY WE LOWERED THE GEAR AND THE R GEAR LIGHT GAVE AN UNSAFE INDICATION. WE THEN RECYCLED THE GEAR AND THEN GOT 'THREE GREENS' AND LANDED SAFELY. CONSIDERING THAT TEMPS WERE SO COLD; WE WERE WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT; ON IF CARB ICE WAS A POSSIBLE FACTOR?? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE SINCE THE INCIDENT; BOTH FAA; PLTS AND CTLRS. THE LCL FSDO INSPECTOR BELIEVES THAT THE PROB WAS ONE OF BLOCKED FUEL FILTERS. THE ANNUAL HAD BEEN COMPLETED THAT VERY DAY. THE ACFT WAS IN THE HANGAR. THE FSDO REP FEELS THAT ALL FUEL HAS SOME MOISTURE IN IT EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL WAS DRAINED AND CHKED. ABOUT 45 MINS INTO THE FLT THIS MOISTURE GOT COLD ENOUGH TO FORM ICE AND PLUGGED THE FUEL FILTERS. THE ENGS DID NOT JUST DIE; THEY SLOWLY LOST PWR; BECAME ROUGH AND THEN DIED. THIS WOULD TEND TO CORROBORATE THE THEORY. THIS WAS A RENTAL ACFT; AND RPTR STATED THAT WHILE IT IS AIRWORTHY; IT DOES HAVE SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT UP TO PAR. ONE IS THE VENT IN THE WINDOW ON WHICH THE SEAL IS BROKEN. HE HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THE SNOW FORMING ONCE THE DRY AIR ENTERED THE ACFT. HE ALSO ATTRIBUTES THE GEAR INDICATORS AS PART OF THE GENERAL UPKEEP PROB. THE GEAR PROB WAS NOT AS BAD AS BEING IN SOLID IMC DOWN TO ABOUT 300 FT AGL. RPTR IS A MULTI ENG INSTRUCTOR AND WAS PROFICIENT IN EMER PROCS AS THAT IS WHAT MOST OF MULTI ENG TRAINING CONSISTS OF.