LAX89FA001

The plt, 3 adult pax & a small child were rtrng to the arpt at night. The plt was told to follow 2 other acft; however he entered traffic incorrectly and was told to go around. After turning to a downwind leg, the eng lost power & the plt declared an emergency (mayday). He maneuvered the acft toward the arpt, but before reaching the rwy, the acft crashed in a left wing down, nose low attitude. It came to rest & began burning after it traveled about 180' from the initial impact point. All pax egressed from the acft, but the plt collapsed before he escaped. The right wing & cabin/cockpit areas were extensively damaged by fire. A post acdnt examination of the eng disclosed no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions or failures. When the fuel selector valve was checked, it was found positioned between the left & right fuel tank settings. The handle for the fuel selector valve was not individually lighted; its lighting source was the overhead cabin lighting. One pax rprtd hearing the sound of a stall warning horn before impact.