Cessna T182T accident near Oroville, Washington, August 13, 2015
On August 13, 2015 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 2008 Cessna T182T, registered N6289Z, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Oroville, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilots’ selection, for undetermined reasons, of a route different than the most commonly used route.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2015 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oroville, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T182T, built 2008 · all T182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N6289Z · no longer on the register · serial T18208870
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner/pilot and another pilot were on a visual flight rules personal cross-country flight near mountainous terrain. The wreckage was discovered after the sheriff's department responded to a call of a forest fire in the area. There were no reported witnesses to the accident sequence. Examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane impacted a hillside at an elevation of 3,093 ft above mean sea level, which was 2,029 ft above the departure airport's elevation. The 45-degree angle cut damage signature on a tree and the propeller damage signatures indicated that the engine was developing power at the time of impact. The fuselage, wings, and most of the empennage were consumed by a postimpact fire. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies was discovered with the engine or airframe. It could not be determined which pilot occupied which seat and who was manipulating the flight controls when the accident occurred. It is unknown why the pilots attempted to fly over the mountain range to the east rather than to use the most common flight route down the valley toward the south. Further, the location where they attempted to cross the rising terrain was very close to the airport, and a witness had seen the airplane depart and fly eastbound at an altitude of about 400 ft above ground level. Therefore, the pilots had a reduced amount of time and distance to climb the airplane to an altitude sufficient to clear the mountain range. The pilot's decision to turn eastbound to cross the mountain range placed the airplane in a situation that prevented a successful crossing, and the pilot failed to recognize that the airplane was unable to climb above the terrain until it was too late to escape.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,701 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 295.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AK1A (piston); 296 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0S7 Oroville WA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: GEG Spokane WA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KOMK, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N6289Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.