What happened
On August 13, 2015, a Cessna T182T, registration N6289Z, crashed into terrain near Oroville, Washington, resulting in 2 fatalities. The flight, a personal cross-country trip, departed from Dorothy Scott Airport (0S7) at approximately 0920 Pacific daylight time, with the intended destination of Spokane International Airport (GEG).
At approximately 0945, the Okanogan County Sheriff's department responded to a report of a forest fire in the area, where they discovered the destroyed aircraft. An Alert Notification was later issued after the pilot's family became concerned when the aircraft failed to arrive at its destination. The aircraft was subsequently identified as the missing plane.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with light and variable winds. There were no reported witnesses to the sequence of events.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage, which was spread along a 6/8-foot-long up-sloping path through a Ponderosa pine forest. The first point of impact was a tree broken approximately 70 feet above the ground. The main wreckage, including the engine, propeller, and cabin, rested inverted. Evidence from the tree damage and propeller signatures indicated the engine was producing power at the time of impact.
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions. While a charred, unidentified substance was found in the fuel selector valve inlet, its original identity could not be determined. The aircraft's flaps were found in a full up position, and aileron control cables showed signs of tension overload.
An autopsy determined the cause of death for both the pilot and the passenger was blunt force trauma and thermal injuries. Toxicology on the pilot's specimens detected diphenhydramine and propranolol, while the passenger's specimens detected ethanol.