NTSB Factual Report

On June 1, 2014, about 1315 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 182K airplane, N2631R, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, following a loss of all engine power, about 26 miles southwest of Galena, Alaska. The airplane was owned by Iksgiza Air Service, LLC., Fairbanks, Alaska, and operated by the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Fairbanks, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Of the four persons aboard, the pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries, and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight had originally departed Fairbanks, and made stops in Anvik and Kaltag, Alaska. The accident flight departed from the Kaltag Airport about 1300, and was en route to the Galena Airport.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 2, the pilot noted that the purpose of the flight was to transport three employees of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council to Fairbanks so they could attend a training class. He said that after departing from Fairbanks, he flew to Anvik and picked up one passenger, and then he flew to Kaltag and subsequently picked up two additional passengers, then he departed for Galena. He said that the flight between Fairbanks, Anvik, and Kaltag were uneventful. The pilot noted that he planned to purchase fuel at Galena, before continuing on to Fairbanks.

As the flight approached the Galena Airport, and while flying level at 1,500 feet msl, the pilot said that the engine began to run rough and lose power, which was immediately followed by a loss of all engine power. The pilot said he was unable to restart the engine, and he selected a marshy area next to a small lake as a forced landing area. During the forced landing, the airplane's wheels contacted an area of soft, tundra-covered terrain, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining damage to the fuselage and wings. The airplane came to rest inverted, and partially submerged in lake water.

The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors O-470 series engine, and an NTSB postaccident inspection is pending following wreckage recovery.

The closest official weather observation station is located at the Galena Airport. At 1258, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting, in part: Wind, 240 degrees (true) at 9 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, 2,400 overcast; temperature, 45 degrees F; dew point, 38 degrees F; altimeter, 30.12 inHg.