Accident Details
The accident occurred during the landing phase of a flight. The pilot reported that after takeoff, he was unable to reduce the propeller rpm by turning the propeller control knob. The knob remained pulled out for the remainder of the flight and landing. On short final, the airplane was maintained at 95-100 mph, and the pilot touched down about one-third of the way down the runway. The pilot applied brakes immediately, but the airplane did not slow down and continued off the end of the runway into a ditch.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that the propeller control problem distracted him. He further noted that he did not pull the throttle to the idle position during the landing rollout. No other mechanical problems were found with the airplane.
Preflight and Engine History
The day prior to the accident flight, the engine would only accelerate to 2,000 rpm. After some adjustments, the engine attained the manufacturer's maximum rpm of 2,300. The pilot stated that there were no indications of any malfunctions during the engine run up, and the acceleration during take off felt normal.