Piper PA-28-180 accident near Whittier, Alaska, May 12, 2018
On May 12, 2018 at about 5:40 pm local time, a 1962 Piper PA-28-180, registered N7061W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Whittier, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's decision to depart and continue on a solo cross-country flight through mountainous terrain in marginal visual flight rules conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2018 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Whittier, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180, built 1962 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7061W · no longer on the register · serial 28-813
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot departed on a solo cross-country flight through mountainous terrain. The airplane was subsequently found on the side of a steep, snow-covered mountain near a well-known, charted mountain pass. Detailed radar data were not available, and the airplane's GPS data did not include the end of the flight; therefore, the exact flight track could not be determined. The damage to the airplane and the debris field were consistent with a high-speed impact into deep snow in a relatively wings-level attitude on a heading toward the destination. Examination of the airframe, engine, and associated systems revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Aviation weather camera images near the time and location of the accident indicated an overcast layer of clouds obscuring the mountain tops, and two pilots reported low ceilings and obscured mountains in the area. Forecast weather products that would have been available to the pilot before the flight indicated visual flight rules (VFR) conditions at the departure airport and marginal VFR conditions from the mountain pass to the destination. There was no record that the pilot obtained a weather briefing for the intended route of flight. The pilot's flight logbook and current flight instructor(s) were not located or identified; therefore, whether the pilot had adequate training or had been endorsed by an instructor to complete the solo flight could not be determined. Given the reported and documented weather conditions in the area about the time of the accident, it is likely that the pilot encountered and chose to continue through restricted visibility conditions as he navigated through the mountain pass, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of visual reference during enroute
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Effect on operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,275.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360A-3A (piston); 3,275 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK
- Destination: VDZ Valdez AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; a few clouds at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PATO, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Global Positioning System (GPS) - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Global Positioning System (GPS) - Specialist's Factual Report - Attachment 1 | data file | Download |
| 3 | Pilot Weather Witness (Gates) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot Weather Witness 2 (Braunwarth) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Weather Summary | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 6 | radar Plot | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | CFI Interview (Evans) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | 72 Hour History | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | NTSB Airframe and Engine Summary | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Pilot Toxicology | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.