| Crash location | 46.713333°N, 122.946389°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Rochester, WA
46.821766°N, 123.096252°W 10.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N382T |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 14 Sep 2018 |
| Aircraft type | GRUBER Beelzabub |
| Additional details: | None |
On September 14, 2018, about 1120 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Gruber Beelzabub, N382T, collided with a tree while maneuvering and impacted the ground near Rochester, Washington. The pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot operated the airplane under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. No flight plan had been filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Flying B Airport (8WA0), Rainier, Washington.
According to witnesses in the area, the airplane flew overhead completing one circuit at a high altitude. On the second circuit, the airplane was at a lower altitude and made an approach traveling from the north to south followed by a turn toward the east. The airplane dropped below a tree line out of view. The witnesses stated the airplane reappeared as it was climbing over a tree line in a turn toward the south. The witnesses observed the wings wag and the front passenger wave at them just before the airplane's left wing impacted a tree top.
The witnesses stated that the engine was running at the time of the accident.