What happened
During the cruise phase of flight, the pilot reported that the left engine began running roughly before experiencing a complete loss of power. After unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine, the pilot feathered the propeller and diverted the aircraft toward the nearest airport.
As the aircraft approached the runway threshold, the pilot extended the landing gear approximately one mile from the runway. However, the pilot did not receive a "down and locked" indication for the gear. Because the loss of the engine meant that engine-driven hydraulic pressure was unavailable to assist with gear extension, an emergency manual gear extension would have been necessary.
The pilot determined there was insufficient time to perform the manual extension and judged that attempting a go-around was inadvisable. Consequently, the pilot side-stepped the runway and landed on the snow-covered ground adjacent to the runway. Upon touchdown, the partially extended landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to come to a stop in a nose-down position in the snow. The occupants were not injured.