Cessna 182Q accident near Bumping Lake, Washington, April 12, 1995
On April 12, 1995 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97843, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bumping Lake, Washington. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Factors relating to the accident were: lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing in mountains, low ambient temperatures that contributed to hypothermia, the lack of survival equipment, an erratic ELT signal due to a faulty tuning crystal, and the lack of discrete transponder data to assist in the search.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1995 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bumping Lake, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97843 · no longer on the register · serial 18267217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, a civil air patrol (CAP) volunteer, was on a CAP flight for proficiency training and to conduct business. The VFR cross-country flight was planned over mountainous terrain. The pilot obtained a weather briefing that included information about icing conditions along the planned route. During the flight, no communication was received from the pilot other than activation of his flight plan after departing the airport. The airplane was reported overdue, but a search was hampered due to IFR conditions and snow. No transponder code was issued to the airplane, and no discrete radar data was located in stored radar data to assist in locating the airplane. By 0900 on 4/15/95, analysis of the primary target radar returns helped in locating the accident airplane. Also, only an intermittent signal was transmitted from the airplane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT). The wreckage was located 3 days later, where the airplane had crash landed on snow covered mountainous terrain. Investigation revealed the pilot initially survived the accident, but succumbed to hypothermia. He was wearing a flight suit over dress clothes, a flight jacket, and dress shoes. No survival equipment was required to be carried in the airplane. The pilot had a personal survival kit, but had left it in his vehicle at the departure airport. A note found in the wreckage indicated that the engine lost power. After recovery, the engine operated normally. The transponder switch was found in the "standby" position; inspection of the ELT revealed a faulty tuning crystal. The pilot had received training in survival skills and was a CAP survival skills instructor.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 266 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,583 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 1995; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S50 Auburn WA at 12:02 pm
- Destination: YKM Yakima WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from SMP, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.