Fall City Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Fall City, Washington 98024
Tuesady, July 8, 2014 8:00 PDT

On July 8, 2014, about 0800 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182, N5816B, was substantially damaged following impact with terrain at a golf course near Fall City, Washington. The certified private pilot, the owner and sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The local flight was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was not filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the accident at the time of the event. The flight had departed the Fall City Airport (1WA6), about 5 minutes prior to the accident, with its destination being Harvey Field (S43), Snohomish, Washington. In a postaccident interview, a family member reported that the pilot had intended to take the airplane to S43 that morning to undergo its scheduled annual inspection. The family member opined that the pilot would have never have taken off into the fog, that he was a very meticulous and cautious pilot in all regards, and that on many occasions the pilot would cancel a flight if there was the slightest discrepancy with the airplane. Several witnesses who were at the golf course at the time of the accident submitted statements to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC). One witness reported that he heard the airplane, but could not see it due to the fog and low ceiling, which was about 50 feet above ground level (agl). The witness stated that he looked toward the noise and observed the airplane heading west barely off of the ground prior to the right wing impacting a tree and subsequently hitting a second tree. A second witness, who reported that the overcast condition was between 100 to 150feet agl, stated that he heard the sound of a sputtering engine, which was immediately followed by a loud thud, "…and suddenly there was a plane, upside down, in the middle of the 9th fairway." A third witness estimated that the fog was about 20 feet off of the ground, and that he heard the airplane flying over but could not see it. He heard the engine "…throttling up, then back, and then throttling up really heavy" right before impact. A fourth witness reported that the vertical visibility was about 75 feet due to the fog. He heard the airplane take off, which he thought was to the west, made a right turn, headed north, then made a left turn heading south over the Snoqualmie River. The witness stated that he observed the airplane flying directly overhead at about 75 feet heading south, and then about 5 seconds later heard one explosion. A fifth witness reported, that while he never saw the airplane due to the very low fog, he believed he heard it flying for about 1 to 2 minutes during which he heard the engine throttle up, then throttle back before the airplane impacted the tree. A survey of the accident site was performed by representatives from the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration. The examination revealed that the airplane initially impacted a tree about 80 feet in height at about the 15-foot level with its outboard right wing section, on a measured magnetic heading of 270 degrees. Subsequent to the initial impact, the airplane continued on a heading of west for about 200 feet before it impacted a second tree of about equal height as the first. The impact occurred at about the 18-foot level, head on with the engine and at a high rate of speed; the engine subsequently separated and was located at the base of the tree. The airplane's fuselage and left wing, minus its engine, then traveled around the north side of the tree on a heading of west for about 60 feet before coming to rest inverted and partially on its right side. The fuselage came to rest oriented on a measured magnetic heading of 093 degrees; the left wing had separated from the fuselage during the final segment of the accident sequence, and was located about 20 feet southwest of the fuselage. It was also observed that the airplane's battery, which had been ejected during the accident sequence, had come to rest about 150 feet west of the main wreckage. Two fuel stains were also observed between the second tree impacted and the fuselage; the first covered an area of about 2,150 square feet (sf), while the second covered an area of about 570 sf. All components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site. The airplane was recovered to a secured storage facility for further examination.

Not Yet Reported