Cessna Aircraft CO 162 accident near Chehalis, Washington, March 22, 2026
On March 22, 2026 at about 1:00 am local time, a 2011 Cessna Aircraft CO 162, registered N163TW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chehalis, Washington (Chehalis-Centralia airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2026 · about 1:00 am local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Chehalis, Washington · Chehalis-Centralia · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna Aircraft CO 162, built 2011
- Registration
- N163TW · registry record · serial 16200230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to complete her solo cross county requirement for a private pilot certificate. During landing, she maneuvered the airplane into a flare and it contacted the runway surface hard. The airplane bounced and became airborne again. The pilot elected to continue the landing attempt instead of performing a go-around and added power while maneuvering the airplane in a nose-low attitude. The propeller and nose landing gear impacted the runway surface and the airplane then pitched up, which resulted in a tail strike and substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 102.6 hours in all; 101.3 in this make and model; 14.5 in the last 90 days; 6.7 in the last 30 days; 1.8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,054 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 20, 2026; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,324 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-D (piston); 3,055 hours total
- Operator: Rainier Flight Service LLC
The flight
- Departed from: RNT Renton WA at 11:42 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 am from KCLS
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCLS 211235Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 05/04 A3019 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 25, 2026. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N163TW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental O-200-D 210 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chehalis-Centralia Airport · nearest airport
- Renton Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR26LA136.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.