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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2018 · about 3:43 am local time · cases in 2018
- 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
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 9, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Statement of Jurisdiction | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N449QX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N449QX: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Seattle-Tacoma International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N449QX 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR18FA220.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.