One Step from a Whiteout

Long ago, while I was flying over the White Mountains on a business trip from Fairbanks to Fort Yukon, the pilot commented to me that planes have crashed in these White Mountains in places where the wreckage was never found. In the course of conversation, the pilot also talked about the dangers of flying in a “whiteout”, where blowing snow disorients a pilot, sometimes leading to a plane crash. Looking down at the very white snow-covered mountains below, it was easy to see how a snowstorm and some wind could easily cause a whiteout. It was good to land safely at Fort Yukon, and even better to land back in Fairbanks.