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Wash. among leaders for single-engine plane accidents

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A March 2023 News Tribune article reports on the disappearance of pilot Rodney Collen, whose single-engine Cessna T182T went off radar shortly after departing Tacoma Narrows Airport on March 6, 2023, prompting a search near Queets, Washington. The article uses the incident as a starting point to examine Washington State's ranking as one of the top states for single-engine plane accidents, drawing on NTSB data showing the state ranks seventh nationally since 2012. Experts attribute the higher accident rate to challenging weather conditions and a robust aviation community, while noting that overall general aviation safety has improved nationwide over the past two decades.

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News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) article by Shea Johnson reporting on the disappearance of Rodney Collen’s 2006 Cessna T182T Turbo Skylane (tail number N24289) after takeoff from Tacoma Narrows Airport on March 6, 2023, with secondary radar tracking the aircraft to an area between Queets and Lake Quinault showing a rapid descent. The article includes a News Tribune analysis of NTSB data finding Washington ranks seventh nationally for single-engine plane accidents since 2012, with 2022 seeing 18 fatalities — the most in a decade — amplified by the September seaplane crash off Whidbey Island that killed 10 people. Richard McSpadden of AOPA’s Air Safety Institute and NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson are quoted; WSDOT and FAA are referenced throughout.

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