Amateur-built DHC8 accident near Steilacoom, Washington, August 11, 2018
On August 11, 2018 at about 3:43 am local time, a 2012 amateur-built DHC8, registered N449QX, was destroyed in an accident near Steilacoom, Washington. It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB did not determine the probable cause of this event and does not plan to issue an investigative report or open a public docket. The investigation of this event is being conducted under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2018 · about 3:43 am local time
- Place
- Steilacoom, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC8 402, built 2012
- Registration
- N449QX · no longer on the register · serial 4410
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 10, 2018, about 2043 Pacific daylight time, a De Havilland DHC-8-402, N449QX, was destroyed when it impacted trees on Ketron Island, near Steilacoom, WA. The noncertificated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Horizon Air Industries, Inc,. and was being operated by the noncertificated pilot as an unauthorized flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the event, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington, about 1932. Horizon Air personnel reported that the noncertificated pilot was employed as a ground service agent and had access to the airplanes on the ramp. The investigation of this event is being conducted under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The NTSB provided requested technical assistance to the FBI, and any material generated by the NTSB is under the control of the FBI. The NTSB does not plan to issue an investigative report or open a public docket.
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
- Security/criminal event defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Other authority investigated
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Stolen/unauthorized › Ground crew
Pilot
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 64,501 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Horizon Air Industries Inc
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 2:32 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from KTIW, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N449QX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR18FA220.