- Date
- March 11, 1991, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Atigan Pass, AK
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N77316Cessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910311043779A
- Case key
- 5525
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot continued to fly VFR into IFR conditions. Related to the accident were: low ceilings, whiteout conditions, and the mountainous terrain.
Analysis
The pilot stated that just before reaching a 4,700 foot mountain Pass, he encountered rapidly deteriorating flight visibility and whiteout conditions due to snow-covered terrain and falling snow. He lost sight of the ground and was unable to turn the airplane around. He began a slow descent and crash landed on the snow-covered mountainside.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77316
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11758
- Airframe hours
- 2,742
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John R. Deruyter
- Registered owner
- Ross W. Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 7, 1990 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Tulik, AK
- Destination
- NONE · North Pole, AK
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,080 total · 70 in this make and model · 1,900 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -26 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.