Cessna 182J accident near Metaline Falls, Washington, January 6, 2010
On January 6, 2010 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N48ZZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Metaline Falls, Washington (Sullivan Lake State Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on a closed, snow-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2010 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Metaline Falls, Washington · Sullivan Lake State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N48ZZ · no longer on the register · serial 18257590
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing on a remote, snow-covered, seasonal airstrip that was closed. He reported that when the airplane touched down, the nose gear broke through the 5-6 inches of crusted snow on the runway and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wings. The pilot reported no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory entry for the airport noted that the airport was unattended and closed from October 1 through June 1 each year.
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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 23, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,372 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2009
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ione WA
- Destination: 09S Metaline Falls WA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 34, 1,765 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.