Cessna 180 accident near White Mountain, Alaska, March 11, 2008
On March 11, 2008 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N66036, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near White Mountain, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadvertent flight into flat light/whiteout conditions over snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2008 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- White Mountain, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N66036 · no longer on the register · serial 1805298
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet msl over snow-covered mountainous terrain. He said the weather conditions were reported as having a ceiling of about 3,000 feet, and a visibility of 10 miles. The route crossed an area of low hills, and the pilot said the visibility began to deteriorate. He descended to about 2,000 feet msl, and suddenly flew into whiteout conditions. The airplane collided with a mountain ridge and overturned. The airplane received structural damage to the wings, landing gear, and fuselage. A pilot who flew to the site shortly after the accident stated that he had difficulty seeing the ridge line. He stated that “visibility was good, about 5 miles, but I couldn’t make out the ridge. The ridge line was relatively horizontal, without any contrasting features, making it difficult to identify against the sky.” The Federal Aviation Administration’s Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Section 7-5-13, “Potential Flight Hazards, Flying in Flat Light and Whiteout Conditions,” notes that whiteout “occurs when a person becomes engulfed in a uniformly white glow…a result of being surrounded by blowing snow, dust, sand, mud or water.” The AIM states that flat light “is an optical illusion, also known as ‘sector or partial whiteout.’ Flat light conditions are usually accompanied by overcast skies inhibiting visual cues. Flat light can completely obscure features of the terrain, creating an inability to distinguish distances and closure rates.” According to the AIM, “flat light conditions can lead to a whiteout environment quite rapidly, and both atmospheric conditions are insidious; they sneak up on you as your visual references slowly begin to disappear.”
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of visual reference during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Not specified
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Whiteout › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,930 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 17,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,980 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2007; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,190 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAKK Koyuk AK at 1:20 pm
- Destination: WMO White Mountain AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N66036 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.