Circumstances
On August 16, 2015, at approximately 0930 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182 (Mexican registration XBYUH) impacted high mountainous terrain during a forced landing about 37 miles from the Big Piney, Wyoming VOR (BPI) on the 015-degree radial. The flight was conducted under Federal Code of Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local sightseeing flight originated from Alpine Municipal Airport (46U) around 0800.
Flight Sequence
During a preflight briefing, the pilot and the pilot-rated passenger (the aircraft owner) agreed that in an emergency, the owner would take control of the airplane. After takeoff, the flight was normal until approaching a glacier at 12,000 feet MSL. The pilot stated that because the engine was normally aspirated, there was limited power available for climbing, but everything seemed satisfactory. As the airplane entered the glacier through a canyon, a sudden downdraft caught it, causing a descent. The pilot recalled that the altitude above terrain was about 500 feet.
Emergency Landing
The pilot attempted to maintain level attitude, but airspeed decreased as the airplane continued descending. The owner then took control, immediately lowering the nose to increase airspeed. Since the airplane was still descending, he requested flaps and announced an emergency landing. The airplane appeared to be stalling. It landed hard on ice ditches, ripping off the nose gear. The main landing gear dug in, and the airplane stopped.
Rescue
An American Airlines commercial flight picked up a mayday call and relayed the information to Salt Lake City Air Traffic Control. Mountain rescue personnel located the wreckage and transported the two occupants to a local hospital. Both occupants sustained minor injuries. No mechanical anomalies were reported. According to the FAA, downdrafts in high mountainous terrain can exceed 1,000 feet per minute, and normally aspirated engine performance is reduced at high altitudes.