CESSNA 206 PLT WENT OFF THE END OF UNCTLED ARPT RWY CAUSING THE NOSEWHEEL AND 1 PROP BLADE TO BREAK OFF WHEN THE ACFT RAN OVER A SHORT ROCK WALL IN THE OVERRUN AREA.

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ON THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY; I LOADED A CESSNA 206; WITH 444 LBS OF MAIL AND HEADED VFR TO NORTH HAVEN WITHERSPOON'S ARPT; A PVT ARPT ON AN ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF MAINE. PRIOR TO DEP I CONDUCTED A PREFLT INSPECTION; ADDED 10 GALS OF FUEL TO BRING MY FUEL LOAD TO 25 GALS; PERFORMED A FULL RUN-UP; AND FOUND NO DISCREPANCIES. I BACK TAXIED FOR A FULL-LENGTH DEP OFF OF RWY 21 RKD; USED FULL PWR AND CHKED THE ENG INSTS BEFORE COMMITTING TO FLT. THE WIND WAS CALM. ARRIVING AT 700 FT AGL I TURNED L (EASTERLY); CLBED TO CRUISE ALT AND HEADED FOR NORTH HAVEN WHICH WAS 11 MI AWAY. THE EARLY MORNING AIR WAS STILL AND SMOOTH. I BEGAN TO CONTEMPLATE WHICH OF THE RWYS I WOULD USE AT NORTH HAVEN. AS I APCHED THE ISLAND; I TOOK NOTICE OF THE GLASSY WATER INDICATING A LACK OF WIND. BOATS SW OF THE ISLAND FAVORED A RWY 24 LNDG; BOATS NE FAVORED RWY 6. I ELECTED TO MAKE A COMPLETE PATTERN OF THE FIELD AND OBSERVE CONDITIONS. THE FLAG AT MIDFIELD WAS LIMP. THIS FIELD IS PVT. THE ROLLOUT END OF RWY 24 TERMINATES AT A PUBLIC ROAD; RWY 6 TERMINATES IN BRUSH. THE PUBLIC ROAD IS PROTECTED BY PLT-ACTIVATED LIGHTS TO WARN PASSING MOTORISTS OF A LNDG AIRPLANE. I TRIED TO ACTIVATE THESE LIGHTS ON EACH LEG OF MY PATTERN WITHOUT SUCCESS. I IMAGINED WHAT AN OVERRUN ACROSS THE ROAD MIGHT MEAN IF TFC WERE NOT STOPPED. I ELECTED TO MAKE A RWY 6 LNDG. NORTH HAVEN IS CHARTED AT 1000 FT LONG; ALTHOUGH IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED TO BE 900 FT. THE LAST 130 FT OF RWY 6 ARE MOWED GRASS; LEADING INTO TALLER WEEDS AND THEN BRUSH. THE APCH TO BOTH ENDS OF THE FIELD ARE OBSTRUCTED BY TREES; SO LNDG IN EITHER DIRECTION REQUIRES MAX PERFORMANCE OF BOTH THE ACFT AND PLT. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS LNDGS AT THIS FIELD BEFORE AND ALTHOUGH I WAS ALERT TO THE REQUIREMENTS; I HAD EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT THE LNDG WAS ACHIEVABLE. BECAUSE OF THESE REQUIREMENTS; I WAS CAREFUL TO EXECUTE A PRECISE PATTERN; AND HOLD THE SHORT FIELD SPD ON FINAL. I APCHED THE FIELD WITH 40 DEGS OF FLAPS; AND CLRING THE TREES REDUCED PWR TO IDLE AND MAINTAINED AIRSPD WITH PITCH. THE PLANE WAS CLRLY AIMED AT THE LNDG THRESHOLD OF RWY 6 AND THE PROFILE SEEMED IDEAL; CONFIRMED LATER BY An EMPLOYEE ON THE GND WHO WITNESSED THE EVENT. I ROUNDED OUT; ANTICIPATED A TOUCHDOWN; BUT NONE OCCURRED. I MOVED THE FLAP SELECTOR HANDLE UP TO REMOVE THE FLAPS TO END THE FLOAT; BUT THE PLANE STILL DID NOT TOUCH DOWN. AT THIS POINT I MOMENTARILY CONSIDERED A GAR; BUT REALIZED THAT THE CHANCES OF CLRING THE TREES AHEAD POSED A GREATER HAZARD THAN CONTINUING THE LNDG. IN OTHER WORDS; I CONSCIOUSLY ELECTED TO CHANCE A LOW SPD INCIDENT ON THE GND RATHER THAN RISK A HIGH SPD ACCIDENT AT ALT. WHEN THE WHEELS CONTACTED THE GRAVEL; I APPLIED MAX BRAKING. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED ONTO THE GRASS; WET WITH MORNING DEW; AND THEN THROUGH THE WEEDS; AND THEN BRUSH; AND THEN A LOW STONEWALL. THE WALL KNOCKED OFF THE NOSEWHEEL; AND 1 BLADE OF THE PROP CONTACTED THE EARTH. I SECURED THE FUEL; PWR; AND MAGNETOS AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE. NOT KNOWING THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE; I ANTICIPATED A POST CRASH FIRE. NONE OCCURRED. AS IT TURNS OUT; THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE; AND MUCH TO MY RELIEF; THE ACFT WAS REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY AND FERRIED OUT UNDER ITS OWN PWR FOR MAINT. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. FIRST; THE FAILURE OF THE LIGHTS TO ACTIVATE LED TO MY DECISION TO LAND ON RWY 6 RATHER THAN RWY 24. RWY 24 HAS A LITTLE MORE DISTANCE BTWN THE RWY END AND THE STAND OF TREES THAN DOES RWY 6; SO GETTING TO THE THRESHOLD IN STABILIZED FLT ON RWY 24 IS MORE EASILY ACCOMPLISHED. HAD I ELECTED RWY 24 IN THE FIRST PLACE; I WOULD HAVE HAD MORE ROOM TO DSND AND ROUND OUT. SECOND; THE FAILURE OF THE FLAPS TO RETRACT EXTENDED MY FLOAT AS THE AIRPLANE DID NOT SETTLE TO THE GND AS I EXPECTED WHEN I COMMANDED FLAPS UP. THIS LIMITED THE DISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR BRAKING AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE OVERRUN. AS REGARDS THE GAR OPTION; WHEN IT BECAME CLR THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A NON-STANDARD LNDG; PROBABLY 1/3 OF THE RWY WAS BEHIND ME; I WAS SLOW; AND CARRYING 444 LBS OF CARGO. I DID NOT KNOW THEN THAT THE FLAPS WERE STILL AT 40 DEGS. I AM SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH MY DECISION TO CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD; EVEN THOUGH I HAD AN ALMOST OVERWHELMING URGE TO 'BOOT IT OUT OF THERE.' I BELIEVE THAT A GAR WOULD HAVE LED TO A FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE TREES. IN THE FUTURE; LNDG ON RWY 24 IN CALM WIND WOULD BE A BETTER CHOICE; ALTHOUGH I CAN'T SAY WHETHER I WOULD NOT HAVE OVERRUN IN THAT DIRECTION AS WELL; CONSIDERING THE FLAP FAILURE. NEVERTHELESS; OTHER PLTS OFFERED ANECDOTALLY THAT THEIR PREFERENCE IS RWY 24 IN CALM WIND; SO A POLICY OUTLINING RWY 24 AS THE LNDG RWY IN CALM CONDITIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL. IT WILL CERTAINLY BE MY POLICY.