Incident Details
During a cruise flight, the aircraft's engine failed, leading to a forced landing in the Kobuk sand dunes. According to the pilot, the engine first quit, sputtered once, briefly regained RPM, then stopped completely. The propeller windmilled until contact with the ground.
Pilot Actions
The pilot attempted to restart the engine by switching the fuel selector to both, activating the boost pump, and pushing the mixture control to full rich. Despite these efforts, the engine did not restart.
Post-Landing Inspection
After the forced landing, the pilot hired a mechanic to examine the engine. The mechanic was unable to identify any mechanical discrepancies. The pilot speculated that the engine failure might have been due to water contamination in the fuel. At the time of departure, the aircraft reportedly had 43 gallons of fuel onboard.