Narrative:

Departing kotzebue, ak, in VFR conditions everything was normal. I made my stop in selawik, ak, where I picked up 2 passenger. I then departed to noorvik, ak, in normal VFR conditions where I picked up 1 passenger. I then departed to kiana, ak, picked up my last 2 passenger for a total of 5 passenger. We left kiana for kotzebue. About 35 mi east of kotzebue I ran into moderate to heavy rain showers with the visibility down to as low as 1 1/2 mi. The rain shower was continuous for about the next 12-15 mi. My altitude was maintained at 1000 ft, but visibility varied between 1 1/2 mi to 5 mi. 21 mi out of kotzebue I heard on the radio that the WX had come down. At 19 mi I heard my engine bog down, I felt vibrations through the controls as well as a sink in altitude and momentary loss of power. When the power came back to normal I had a slight climb. This power loss was quick and sudden. I performed a xchk noticing nothing abnormal. I called a company aircraft of the problem and that I would circle nimiok point. Within the next 4 mi I had two more occurrences, but not as severe. About 16 mi out I notified FSS of possible engine trouble and that I would circle nimiok point where I had 1000 ft gravel airstrip within glide distance. They told me that the WX at kotzebue was 100 ft overcast and less than 1/4 mi visibility. I acknowledged and said I couldn't risk turning around to divert to noorvik, ak, 22 NM behind me over harsh terrain. I then called my company notifying them of my problem. I turned on the auxiliary fuel pump to see if it would help but had no change, I still had intermittent roughness. Switching tanks and reducing power to conserve fuel I continued to circle the airstrip. About 45 mins to 1 hour FSS notified me of no change. I notified the 2 agencies of my intent to land at the short airstrip only as a last resort. With the fresh rain and shortness of the strip I was not sure if it would support my C207 and was not willing to risk landing there unless I had no choice. After about 1 hour 40 mins of holding, the WX to the east started to move in with some fog. I notified FSS that I no longer had a choice and had to land before my WX turned from VFR of 4000 ft overcast and 10 mi visibility to IFR conditions. Holding was no longer an option. I told FSS that I had to land, noticing all the threats around the airstrip. With 1/2 mi visibility the beach was my only safe way to the strip. As I got closer I descended to about 50-75 ft. At this time my visibility was zero. Entering the fog at about 200 ft I descended to 50-25 ft, dragging the airplane in at a safe slow speed, I continued to look out the left window and beneath me searching for my chkpoints. When I saw the small pond I knew marked the start of the runway, I cut my power to idle and side-stepped left holding the plane in a flare I felt would work, within 2 seconds the mains touched the runway, I applied brakes still holding back pressure. About 1.5 seconds (at the most) I saw all my obstacles appear from the fog, knowing the end of the runway was next I dropped the nose to help maintain directional control. After leaving the end of the runway I left the tires locked, still maintaining control, we then went through a dirt berm and halfway into a pond. The airplane now at a stop and propeller still spinning, I simultaneously shut down the engine and ordered my passenger to depart the plane. My passenger still calm trying to ask questions, I interrupted them saying 'the plane is sinking, will you please get out of the plane.' I then fired a flare, checked to see that my aircraft was stable, climbed in back, triggered the ELT, then got on center frequency making my mayday call. I got a hold of a caravan who relayed that there were no injuries but would need assistance. We were rescued about 1 1/2 to 2 hours later. No injuries and no damage was found. The safest course of action was to try to hold on and hope for an improvement and if necessary make an emergency landing on the small strip. That was the only way I could ensure my passenger safety. This way if I had any injuries they knew where to look and when we would be down.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHEN HIS ENG'S RELIABILITY BECOMES IN DOUBT AND HE IS UNABLE TO PROCEED TO AN ALTERNATE OVER HARSH TERRAIN, A C207 ATX PLT ELECTS TO LAND ON AN UNIMPROVED 1000 FT GRAVEL STRIP. ACFT DEPARTS THE RWY AT THE END. THE WX AT DEST ARPT WAS TOO LOW FOR HIS CONSIDERING AN APCH.

Narrative: DEPARTING KOTZEBUE, AK, IN VFR CONDITIONS EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. I MADE MY STOP IN SELAWIK, AK, WHERE I PICKED UP 2 PAX. I THEN DEPARTED TO NOORVIK, AK, IN NORMAL VFR CONDITIONS WHERE I PICKED UP 1 PAX. I THEN DEPARTED TO KIANA, AK, PICKED UP MY LAST 2 PAX FOR A TOTAL OF 5 PAX. WE LEFT KIANA FOR KOTZEBUE. ABOUT 35 MI E OF KOTZEBUE I RAN INTO MODERATE TO HVY RAIN SHOWERS WITH THE VISIBILITY DOWN TO AS LOW AS 1 1/2 MI. THE RAIN SHOWER WAS CONTINUOUS FOR ABOUT THE NEXT 12-15 MI. MY ALT WAS MAINTAINED AT 1000 FT, BUT VISIBILITY VARIED BTWN 1 1/2 MI TO 5 MI. 21 MI OUT OF KOTZEBUE I HEARD ON THE RADIO THAT THE WX HAD COME DOWN. AT 19 MI I HEARD MY ENG BOG DOWN, I FELT VIBRATIONS THROUGH THE CTLS AS WELL AS A SINK IN ALT AND MOMENTARY LOSS OF PWR. WHEN THE PWR CAME BACK TO NORMAL I HAD A SLIGHT CLB. THIS PWR LOSS WAS QUICK AND SUDDEN. I PERFORMED A XCHK NOTICING NOTHING ABNORMAL. I CALLED A COMPANY ACFT OF THE PROB AND THAT I WOULD CIRCLE NIMIOK POINT. WITHIN THE NEXT 4 MI I HAD TWO MORE OCCURRENCES, BUT NOT AS SEVERE. ABOUT 16 MI OUT I NOTIFIED FSS OF POSSIBLE ENG TROUBLE AND THAT I WOULD CIRCLE NIMIOK POINT WHERE I HAD 1000 FT GRAVEL AIRSTRIP WITHIN GLIDE DISTANCE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE WX AT KOTZEBUE WAS 100 FT OVCST AND LESS THAN 1/4 MI VISIBILITY. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND SAID I COULDN'T RISK TURNING AROUND TO DIVERT TO NOORVIK, AK, 22 NM BEHIND ME OVER HARSH TERRAIN. I THEN CALLED MY COMPANY NOTIFYING THEM OF MY PROB. I TURNED ON THE AUX FUEL PUMP TO SEE IF IT WOULD HELP BUT HAD NO CHANGE, I STILL HAD INTERMITTENT ROUGHNESS. SWITCHING TANKS AND REDUCING PWR TO CONSERVE FUEL I CONTINUED TO CIRCLE THE AIRSTRIP. ABOUT 45 MINS TO 1 HR FSS NOTIFIED ME OF NO CHANGE. I NOTIFIED THE 2 AGENCIES OF MY INTENT TO LAND AT THE SHORT AIRSTRIP ONLY AS A LAST RESORT. WITH THE FRESH RAIN AND SHORTNESS OF THE STRIP I WAS NOT SURE IF IT WOULD SUPPORT MY C207 AND WAS NOT WILLING TO RISK LNDG THERE UNLESS I HAD NO CHOICE. AFTER ABOUT 1 HR 40 MINS OF HOLDING, THE WX TO THE E STARTED TO MOVE IN WITH SOME FOG. I NOTIFIED FSS THAT I NO LONGER HAD A CHOICE AND HAD TO LAND BEFORE MY WX TURNED FROM VFR OF 4000 FT OVCST AND 10 MI VISIBILITY TO IFR CONDITIONS. HOLDING WAS NO LONGER AN OPTION. I TOLD FSS THAT I HAD TO LAND, NOTICING ALL THE THREATS AROUND THE AIRSTRIP. WITH 1/2 MI VISIBILITY THE BEACH WAS MY ONLY SAFE WAY TO THE STRIP. AS I GOT CLOSER I DSNDED TO ABOUT 50-75 FT. AT THIS TIME MY VISIBILITY WAS ZERO. ENTERING THE FOG AT ABOUT 200 FT I DSNDED TO 50-25 FT, DRAGGING THE AIRPLANE IN AT A SAFE SLOW SPD, I CONTINUED TO LOOK OUT THE L WINDOW AND BENEATH ME SEARCHING FOR MY CHKPOINTS. WHEN I SAW THE SMALL POND I KNEW MARKED THE START OF THE RWY, I CUT MY PWR TO IDLE AND SIDE-STEPPED L HOLDING THE PLANE IN A FLARE I FELT WOULD WORK, WITHIN 2 SECONDS THE MAINS TOUCHED THE RWY, I APPLIED BRAKES STILL HOLDING BACK PRESSURE. ABOUT 1.5 SECONDS (AT THE MOST) I SAW ALL MY OBSTACLES APPEAR FROM THE FOG, KNOWING THE END OF THE RWY WAS NEXT I DROPPED THE NOSE TO HELP MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CTL. AFTER LEAVING THE END OF THE RWY I LEFT THE TIRES LOCKED, STILL MAINTAINING CTL, WE THEN WENT THROUGH A DIRT BERM AND HALFWAY INTO A POND. THE AIRPLANE NOW AT A STOP AND PROP STILL SPINNING, I SIMULTANEOUSLY SHUT DOWN THE ENG AND ORDERED MY PAX TO DEPART THE PLANE. MY PAX STILL CALM TRYING TO ASK QUESTIONS, I INTERRUPTED THEM SAYING 'THE PLANE IS SINKING, WILL YOU PLEASE GET OUT OF THE PLANE.' I THEN FIRED A FLARE, CHKED TO SEE THAT MY ACFT WAS STABLE, CLBED IN BACK, TRIGGERED THE ELT, THEN GOT ON CTR FREQ MAKING MY MAYDAY CALL. I GOT A HOLD OF A CARAVAN WHO RELAYED THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES BUT WOULD NEED ASSISTANCE. WE WERE RESCUED ABOUT 1 1/2 TO 2 HRS LATER. NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND. THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO TRY TO HOLD ON AND HOPE FOR AN IMPROVEMENT AND IF NECESSARY MAKE AN EMER LNDG ON THE SMALL STRIP. THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD ENSURE MY PAX SAFETY. THIS WAY IF I HAD ANY INJURIES THEY KNEW WHERE TO LOOK AND WHEN WE WOULD BE DOWN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.