The cause of a light plane engine failure which killed a pilot when he crashed on a suburban Melbourne street remains unclear after a preliminary investigation.
Anthony Liddell, 50, died when the single-engine Cessna 172 nose-dived onto Scarlet Street in Mordialloc, brought down a power line, hit a fence and burst into flames beside a parked car on June 8.
In a mayday call broadcast before the crash, Mr Liddell said "we've got engine failure" and then the aircraft descended in a left turn.
A preliminary Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released on Wednesday found no evidence of a mechanical engine failure.
The degree of propeller damage was consistent with it not producing power at the time of the crash, the ATSB found.
The crash caused flames more than seven metres high, and investigators found the plane's fuel tanks had ruptured.
The Cessna had been in the air for about an hour and was heading back to the Moorabbin Airport after its first flight following maintenance.
The plane had a new engine which was fully-tested.
Investigators will continue to look at other components of the plane, including those associated with the fuel system, to explain what exactly went wrong.
