On March 11, 2008, about 1050 Alaska daylight time, a wheel ski-equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N66036, sustained substantial damage when it collided with snow-covered terrain, about 16 miles east-northeast of White Mountain, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot who was volunteering his airplane in support of the annual Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska. The airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. The two passengers received minor injuries. The flight originated at the Koyuk Airport, Koyuk, Alaska, about 1020, en route to White Mountain, and no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on March 11, the pilot reported that he departed from Koyuk with several other airplanes, and the weather conditions were reported as having a ceiling of about 3,000 feet, and a visibility of 10 miles. As the flight progressed toward White Mountain, he was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet msl. The route crossed low hills east of the airport, 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 about 2,000 feet msl 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.”