A BE77 Skipper Pilot reported that his aircraft's engine lost power over a Class C airport at 5;500'. He requested an immediate landing without declaring an emergency. The aircraft was on a ferry permit because it was nearly two years out of annual.

Narrative

Ferrying aircraft for a friend; the engine lost power at 5500 feet; verified fuel on; pulled on carb heat; moved mixture full rich; and turned on boost pump. I was above Class C airspace at the time and was not using flight following due to the restriction on the ferry permit that would not allow it because the Transponder and altimeter check were not current. When it was evident I needed to put the airplane on the ground; I contacted Approach which I had been monitoring. I announced I had lost engine power and had to land immediately. Approach cleared me to any runway and I proceeded to descend. I had to complete some 'S' turns to slow up and loose altitude prior to landing on Runway XX. Landing was uneventful. On the ground I was able to taxi to the ramp because the engine would develop 800 RPM; which was the most power it could develop without thrashing. The last annual for the aircraft was 2008. In that same month; it was then flown to an aircraft broker and was not flown since; but was only ground run a couple of times since. The aircraft went through a comprehensive inspection by an A&P/IA mechanic and was issued a ferry permit by the FAA. All flight restrictions were adhered to in the flight; and as of this writing; the cause of the loss of power is still unknown; but is being investigated by a maintenance facility. I felt I took effective remedial action in checks according to the POH with the following exception: Turning of fuel valve when I had the runway made; and neglecting to declare an emergency when requesting immediate landing. In retrospect; I should have taken the time during decent to familiarize myself with the runway orientation at by slowing my decent to best glide (instead of cruise speed); since I was over the airport.