Cessna U206D N729RV accident near Nikolai, Alaska

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because the engine was not made available for examination.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated that while in level cruise flight, the engine lost oil pressure, followed by smoke in the cockpit, and a total loss of engine power. The pilot selected a remote gravel bar along a river as a forced landing site. During the forced landing, the airplane slid across a shallow creek and impacted the river bank, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. According to the pilot, before the airplane could be recovered, the wreckage was subjected to rising creek waters, which washed the airplane’s logbooks downstream. The engine was not made available and was not examined and thus no determination was made as to why the engine lost power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC12LA093 for the full record.