De Havilland DHC8 accident near Steilacoom, WA
On August 11, 2018, a De Havilland DHC8 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Steilacoom, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 11, 2018
- Place
- Steilacoom, WA
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC8 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.148°N, 122.638°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180812X92421
Official records · WPR18FA220
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
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.
Probable cause
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.
From Wikipedia
On August 10, 2018, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Horizon Air was stolen from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea–Tac) by 28-year-old Richard Russell, a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. Sea–Tac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy ... got a few screws loose, I guess." About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell successfully executed a loop before purposely crashing the aircraft on the sparsely populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound with the intent to die by suicide. There were no collateral human injuries; Russell was the sole fatality.
Text from Wikipedia, “2018 Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 incident”, CC BY-SA 4.0; shortened to the introduction. Authors.
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 · De Havilland 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.
