Incident Overview
A pilot reported that while on final approach to a county dirt road he intended to use as a runway, the engine faltered at an altitude of 75 to 100 feet above ground level. The engine RPM dropped from 1800 to below 1000. The pilot stated he had planned his glidepath to miss a tree located on the roadway shoulder.
Sequence of Events
When the engine did not respond to throttle advancement, the pilot elected to land short on the roadway. He turned the aircraft to the left to avoid the tree, and during this maneuver, the left main landing gear slipped off the road surface and into soft soil. The engine then responded to throttle application, and the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft back onto the center of the road. However, accumulated soft dirt in front of the main gear pulled the nose gear off the road and into soft dirt, causing the aircraft to nose over.
Postaccident Examination
Following the accident, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors conducted an examination of the aircraft. No discrepancies were found with either the airframe or the engine.