Stinson 108-3 accident near Glennallen, Alaska, April 22, 2001

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot, holder of a student pilot certificate, was on a cross-country personal flight over remote terrain. While in cruise flight, the engine suddenly began producing a heavy vibration. It also began to smoke and produce oil on the windshield, and then the propeller stopped. The airplane began to descend and the pilot turned toward a small frozen lake, located about 5 miles from a major highway. The area around the lake was surrounded by tall trees. The pilot selected a forced landing area between several trees in an area only large enough to fit the main fuselage. During the collision, the windshield was broken out, the cabin doors were torn off, and the wings were extensively damage, including rupturing of the wing fuel tanks. The cockpit area remain intact and the pilot exited the airplane with a small backpack. A postcrash fire then erupted and the airplane was consumed. The flight was not reported overdue, and no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signals were detected by search and rescue personnel. The following day, the pilot said he used a handheld radio to contact an airplane flying over the area and requested assistance. The pilot of the other airplane landed on the small frozen lake and picked up the pilot. Following the accident, the pilot reported that internal components of the engine failed and ruptured the engine case.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.