Cessna 182A accident near Durango, Colorado, November 24, 2022

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

According to the pilot, he was flying with a friend in the local area and was returning to the departure airport when the accident occurred. He was operating the airplane with the fuel selector in the “BOTH” position. When the pilot made a turn with about 30° of bank, the engine began to “cut out.” The pilot stated that he leveled the wings and that the engine started to regain power just before it “sputtered and died.” The pilot immediately established the airplane’s best glide airspeed and selected a field for a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted multiple trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The left and right fuel tanks had about 8 to 10 gallons of fuel per side. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed fuel in the gascolator, with no visible contamination, and no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of weather conditions at the time of the accident showed no probability for carburetor icing. Thus, on the basis of the available evidence for this accident investigation, the cause of the loss of engine power could not be determined.

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.