Cessna 180F accident near Gold Bar, Washington, July 8, 2000
On July 8, 2000 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180F, registered N37GC, was destroyed in an accident near Gold Bar, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument rated pilot's attempted VFR flight in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were mountainous terrain and cloud, low ceiling and obscuration conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2000 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Gold Bar, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180F · all 180Fs on the register
- Registration
- N37GC · registry record · serial 18051290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot and two passengers departed Arlington, Washington, in a Cessna 180F on a flight across the Cascade Mountains to Spokane, Washington. No flight plan had been filed and weather at the departure airport was 2,000-foot broken with lowering ceilings to the east. Raw radar data showed the aircraft tracking east-southeast with the last target recorded at 1410:01, at an estimated elevation of 5,200 feet and approximately 10 nautical miles east-southeast of the crash site. The aircraft impacted trees and +35 degree upsloping terrain in a wings level attitude, and the wreckage distribution was towards the north-northwest (299 degrees magnetic) at an elevation of approximately 3,850 feet MSL. Both propeller blade tips were separated from their respective propeller blades, and both blades displayed aftward bending and twisting deformation. Both wings separated at the fuselage wing root area. A logger located approximately one nautical mile north-northeast of the crash site at the time of the accident reported hearing an aircraft coming from the northwest circling back to the southwest followed by a 'backfire' or 'rifle-shot' like noise and then silence. The logger also reported poor visibility (overcast) with extremely cloudy/foggy conditions, and with heavy clouds/fog at elevations of 2,400 to 3,500 feet. He also reported that the tops of the ridges were fogged in from his observation point.'
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 301 hours in all; 128 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 217 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AWO Arlington WA at 8:41 pm
- Destination: SFF Spokane WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PAE, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.