- Date
- December 14, 1986, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N30814Cessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19861214067539A
- Case key
- 4813
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he had good ground visibility but suddenly flew into whiteout conditions losing ground reference. He stated that before realizing what had happened the acft struck the top of the mountian rigde.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30814
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701479
- Airframe hours
- 2,797
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Clifton, J. Eller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1986 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- ENN · Tanana, AK
- Destination
- PAQ · Palmer, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1,301 in this make and model · 1,301 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.