LAX95LA071

The pilot said he was on final approach to a county dirt road he intended to use as a runway when the engine faltered at 75-100 feet AGL. The rpm's fell from 1800 RPM to below 1000 RPM. He said he had planned his glidepath to miss a tree on the roadway shoulder. The engine would not respond to throttle advancement, so the pilot elected to land short on the roadway. The pilot turned the aircraft to the left to miss the tree, and the left main gear slipped off the road 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. Accumulated soft dirt in front of the main gear pulled the nose gear off the road and into soft dirt, which caused the aircraft to nose over. Postaccident examination of the aircraft by FAA inspectors revealed no discrepancies with the airframe or engine.

On January 2, 1995, at 0940 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 175, N7098M, nosed over after encountering soft soil while landing on a county road near Davis, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at the Yolo County Airport, Davis, California, at 0920 as a personal flight to a ranch near the road used for the landing.

The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator written report that while on final to land on the roadway, he observed his sink rate to be faster than desired. To correct the situation, he advanced the throttle to increase his glidepath in order to touchdown beyond a tree at the side of the road. The pilot said that about 75-100 feet agl, the "engine faltered and rpm fell off to below 1,000 rpm." The engine did not respond to his throttle adjustment, so he selected to land short.

After touchdown, the pilot steered the aircraft to the left to avoid the wing striking a tree. The left main landing gear was running parallel to the north edge of the road when it slipped off the road surface and into the soft-dirt shoulder. The pilot continued to rollout parallel to the road while he attempted to apply power along with right rudder, in an attempt to move the aircraft back onto the road surface. About the time the engine responded to the throttle advancement, soft dirt had accumulated in front of the main gear, and this pulled the nose gear into the soft shoulder. The pilot then pulled power off and attempted to slow the aircraft with the right toe brake. The aircraft rolled into freshly tilled soil and nosed over.

A FAA inspector from the Sacramento Flight Standards District Office examined the aircraft and found no discrepancies with the airframe or engine.