Cessna 182 accident near Dabob, WA
On December 30, 2016, a Cessna 182 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dabob, WA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 30, 2016
- Place
- Dabob, WA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.824°N, 122.790°W
- NTSB ID
- 20161230X55950
Official records · WPR17FA044
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Department of the Navy - Mishap Package (Transcript): Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 29, 2016, about 1844 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182P, N52388, collided with terrain near Dabob, Washington. The non-instrument-rated private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the pilot who was operating it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Night meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity of the accident site, and no flight plan was filed for the personal cross-country flight. The visual flight rules (VFR) flight departed at 1816 from Boeing Field International Airport (BFI), Seattle, Washington, and was enroute to William R. Fairchild International Airport (CLM), Port Angeles, Washington. According to a family member, the pilot, his wife, and two grandchildren flew from CLM to BFI in the morning, spent the day in the Seattle area, and were returning to CLM when the accident occurred. According to air traffic control communications, at 1833, the pilot was transferred from the BFI tower controller to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Approach Control West (APW) controller. A review of the airplane's radar track (see Figure 1) showed that the airplane departed the BFI area on a northwest heading climbing to about 2,800 ft mean sea level (msl) before descending with altitudes varying between 2,500 ft msl and 2,000 ft msl. At 1833:30, the airplane traveled west into the northern side of restricted airspace P-51. At 1834:04, the APW controller asked the pilot if he was reversing course, and the pilot replied that h
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to continue a night visual flight rules into instrument flight rules conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain an official weather briefing.
More accidents in WA
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Sep 4, 2022
- Cessna 208B, Oct 8, 2007
- Cessna 172P, Dec 7, 1991
- Piper PA-32-260, Jul 29, 2001
- Beech A60, Nov 21, 1992
Browse: Washington · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
