Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gold Bar, Washington 98251
Saturday, July 8, 2000 14:15 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
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.'
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
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.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/8/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1415 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | GOLD BAR |
| Event State | WASHINGTON |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 98251 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1353 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 275 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PAE |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 606 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 24 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 17 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 11 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 867 |
| NTSB Notification Source | SEA FAA ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 13 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1624 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 25 2001 4:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Unknown |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N37GC |
| NTSB Number | SEA00FA132 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Unknown |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 180F |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 180F |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18051290 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2650 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | BLEASNER, REBECCA & JAMES |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | RR2 BOX 239 |
| Aircraft Owner City | SPOKANE |
| Aircraft Owner State | WA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99217 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | BLEASNER, JAMES S. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 12322 EAST PIPER ROAD |
| Operator City | SPOKANE |
| Operator State | WA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99217 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | AWO |
| Departure City | ARLINGTON |
| Departure State | WA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1341 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SFF |
| Destination City | SPOKANE |
| Destination State | WA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 25 2001 4:10AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |