NTSB Identification: ANC13LA012
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Monday, December 03, 2012 in Mekoryuk, AK
Aircraft: CESSNA 208B, registration: N169LJ
Injuries: 1 Minor,8 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 3, 1012, about 1050 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 208B airplane, N169LJ, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from the Mekoryuk Airport, Mekoryuk, Alaska. Of the nine people aboard, the two pilots and six passengers were not injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was being operated as Flight 140, by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc., dba ERA Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled commuter flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at the Mekoryuk Airport about 1045, and was destined for Bethel, Alaska.

In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot-in-command (PIC) stated that the second-in-command (SIC) was the flying pilot for the flight to Bethel. He said that the takeoff and initial climb were normal, but shortly after passing 1,000 feet, the engine "coughed," started vibrating, and lost power. An attempt to restart the engine was not successful. The PIC assumed control of the airplane, and landed on a frozen bay approximately 5 miles northeast of the Mekoryuk Airport. Witnesses at the airport observed the airplane descending, and responded with snow machines, and all-terrain vehicles to transport the airplane's occupants back to Mekoryuk.

During the forced landing the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing.

The airplane was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A turbine engine. An NTSB postaccident engine and airframe examination is pending.

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