Incident Details
The event occurred when the pilot was leveling the aircraft at an altitude of 9,500 feet. At that point, the engine lost power. The pilot decided not to attempt an aerial restart due to fear of damaging the engine. Instead, the pilot lowered the landing gear and performed a forced landing. The aircraft touched down on a rocky slope with a 60-degree incline, coming to rest about 500 feet short of a flat area consisting of gravel and mud sand bar.
Pilot Background
The pilot lacked documented emergency procedure training and had not undergone a biennial flight review.
Post-Accident Inspection
Examination of the aircraft after the accident revealed that the fuel inlet fitting was partially blocked by a mass described as sludge. The bypass fitting, however, was found to be unrestricted. No other failures or malfunctions were found with the engine or the aircraft structure.