Cessna T182T accident near Queets, Washington, March 7, 2023
On March 7, 2023 at about 2:15 am local time, a 2006 Cessna T182T, registered N24289, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Queets, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2023 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Queets, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T182T, built 2006 · all T182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N24289 · registry record · serial T18208518
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and airplane were reported missing by family members. A multi-agency search was conducted; radar data believed to represent the missing airplane showed a westerly track to 10 miles east of Queets, Washington. The airplane wreckage was found 5 weeks later in an area of dense trees one mile north of the last radar target. Shortly after departure, evidence suggests the pilot turned off the airplane’s transponder. The airplane likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions and icing along the route of flight. Although evidence suggests the pilot had been drinking alcohol shortly before the accident, the pattern of the pilot's ethanol results indicates that some or all the detected ethanol likely was from sources other than alcohol consumption. This conclusion is consistent with the severity of the pilot’s injuries, the delayed recovery of his remains, and the presence of other volatiles (n-butanol, isopropanol, and acetone) in some of the tested specimens. However, the results do not exclude the possibility that the pilot may have consumed ethanol and may have been impaired by ethanol effects at the time of the crash. Thus, whether ethanol effects contributed to the crash could not be determined. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › (general) › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 802 hours in all; 802 in this make and model; 740 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,397 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AK1A (piston); 1,397 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TIW Tacoma WA at 11:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 6:31 pm from KUIL, 35 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KUIL 070231Z AUTO 14009G26KT 5SM -RA BR BKN012 OVC020 04/03 A2993 RMK AO2 PK WND 14026/0223 P0004 T00390028=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR23FA143.