Cessna 182F accident near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, October 18, 1984
On October 18, 1984 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3553U, was destroyed in an accident near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1984 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Snoqualmie Pass, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3553U · no longer on the register · serial 182-54953
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE LEVELING OFF AT 5,500 FT HE TRIMMED THE ACFT FOR CRUISE FLT (2200 RPM/21' MP) AND CHECKED THE CARB HEAT. APRX 5 MINS LATER, THE PLT SWITCHED FROM THE RT FUEL TANK TO BOTH FUEL TANKS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENG LOST POWER. PLT THEN SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT FUEL TANK AND USED CARB HEAT HOWEVER THE ENG QUIT ENTIRELY. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENG FAILED AND THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED DURING THE SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 616 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 532 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 1983; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WA64 Sultan WA
- Destination: ELN Ellensburg WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:49 am
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.