Search and rescue efforts for a missing plane and pilot believed to have crashed near Queets last week have been hampered by foul weather along the coast.
The plane, piloted by Rod Collen, departed from Tacoma Narrows Airport on Monday, March 6, and was reported missing that evening, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation news release.
“It’s still an active investigation,” said Tina Warner, a spokesperson for WSDOT, in a phone interview. “We don’t have the information on what led up to this.”
This Cessna T182 Turbo Skylane was reported missing with one person aboard after dropping off radar near Queets on March 6. Weather has hampered the search of the remote region. (Courtesy photo / Washington Department of Transportation)
Search and rescue efforts for the aircraft, a white single-engine Cessna T182 Turbo Skylane with the tail number N24289, began that night after locating an approximate area where the aircraft disappeared, according to the news release.
“Within seven minutes into the flight, the information that tells us where their plane was going, their tracking system, was turned off or malfunctioned and was no longer visible,” Werner said. “We have a specialized radar forensics team. We were able to place them between the coast and Lake Quinault and Queets.”
Radar returns gave them an area of approximately 36 square miles where the aircraft made a very rapid descent to the ground, according to the news release.
“As far as we know, Collen was the only person aboard,” Werner said.
No signal from the emergency locator transmitter has been detected, and WSDOT air search and rescue crews, working in partnership with the Quinault Indian Nation, whose tribal land the search area is located in, have carried out air searches for the aircraft, according to the news release.
Foul weather along the coast has hampered the ability of aircraft to search safely, and the rugged and forested nature of the terrain makes ground searches impractical without a better idea of the crash’s location, according to the news release. The rugged terrain, tall trees, foul weather and snow-covered ground possibly concealing the plane’s white exterior all complicate the search, Werner said.
“When our pilot, our search and rescue coordinator are flying through the area, some of these trees are upwards of 100 feet and are covered in snow. We’re looking for a white plane; it can be misleading,” Werner said. “When there’s reduced visibility and low clouds, it can make for very challenging flying conditions.”
Search flights will hopefully resume Tuesday morning, Werner said.
WSDOT is the primary agency responsible for coordinating search and rescue for aircraft incidents, Werner said.
“It’s something we do take seriously,” Werner said. “Safety is a key part of what we do at WSDOT as a multimodal transportation agency.”
Alongside WSDOT and personnel from the Quinault Indian Nation, the Coast Guard, the sheriff’s offices of Pierce and Jefferson counties, the Tacoma Police Department and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center are all contributing to the investigation.
“Anyone who thinks they may have seen or heard that plane, please contact the state emergency operations center at 800-258-5990,” Werner said.
Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.
