Incident Overview
The pilot of a single-engine aircraft reported that approximately 40 miles south of the destination airport, the fuel pressure dropped. He activated the auxiliary fuel pump and continued the descent for landing. On final approach, the aircraft was low, and when the pilot added throttle, there was no response. The stall warning sounded, and the pilot lowered the nose slightly to prevent a stall. The aircraft landed hard on the runway threshold, collapsing the nose gear.
Pilot Statements to Police
The pilot later told responding police officers that at 100 feet above ground level on final, the engine lost power, resulting in a high rate of descent. He stated that he deployed full flaps to slow the descent, and when that did not work, he lowered the nose to regain speed.
Post-Accident Events
The Safety Board was notified of the accident two weeks after it occurred, by which time the aircraft had been moved and disassembled. The total fuel quantity and distribution among tanks were not ascertained. The Safety Board located the aircraft at a salvage facility that had transported it from the accident site. The engine was started and successfully test run using the airframe systems.
Damage Assessment
According to the source, the hard landing resulted in the collapse of the nose gear and damage to the propeller.