Accident Details
On November 27, 2018, at about 1230 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, registration N7207A, was destroyed during a forced landing and postcrash fire. The incident occurred shortly after departure from an off-airport landing site on Montague Island, approximately 60 miles east of Seward, Alaska. The student pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a visual flight rules (VFR) flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, during a previous flight earlier that day, while on final approach to the same off-airport landing site, the engine lost all power. The pilot applied carburetor heat and successfully restarted the engine, landing without further incident. After that event, the pilot sumped the fuel system and removed 7 vials of water. He then taxied for departure and performed a run-up. The engine initially ran rough for a short time before smoothing out with no anomalies noted.
Loss of Power and Crash
Just after departure from the off-airport landing site, at an altitude of about 30 feet above ground level, the engine lost all power. The airplane subsequently impacted Alder trees off the departure end of the airstrip and was destroyed by a postcrash fire. The aircraft was equipped with a Continental Motors O-300 series engine. Due to the remote location of the accident site, the airplane was not recovered or examined after the accident.
Weather Conditions
The closest weather reporting facility was Seward Airport (PAWD), Seward, Alaska, about 60 miles west of the accident site. At 1353, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) from PAWD reported: wind calm; sky condition broken clouds at 3,800 ft, broken clouds at 4,900 ft, overcast clouds at 6,000 ft; visibility 10 statute miles; temperature 45°F; dewpoint 41°F; altimeter 29.06 inHg.