Cessna 180H accident near Ophir, Alaska, February 25, 2000
On February 25, 2000 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180H, registered N8221V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ophir, Alaska (Ophir airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable taxi area. A factor associated with the accident was the soft, snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 2000 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ophir, Alaska · Ophir · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8221V · registry record · serial 18051723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was taxiing his ski-equipped airplane on a snow-covered taxiway. In preparation for takeoff, he said he made a left turn toward the runway, and the right main landing gear ski penetrated the snow crust, allowing the right horizontal stabilizer to strike the snow and sustain substantial damage. The U.S. Government Alaska Supplement includes an airport listing for Ophir. Under the Airport Remarks section, it reads, in part: 'Unattended. Runway not usable and not maintained.'
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.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,486 hours in all; 1,416 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 3,057 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,478 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1999; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCG Mcgrath AK at 7:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 1,500 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8221V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.