Cessna 162 N163TW

Summary

On 22 March 2026 at about 01:00 local time, a Cessna 162 registered N163TW, operated by Rainier Flight Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Chehalis, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 March 2026 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chehalis, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Chehalis-Centralia (CLS)

Coordinates

46.6770, -122.9830

Aircraft

Cessna 162

Registration

N163TW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Rainier Flight Service LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Renton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA136

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a tail strike.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to complete her solo cross county requirement for a private pilot certificate. During landing, she maneuvered the airplane into a flare and it contacted the runway surface hard. The airplane bounced and became airborne again. The pilot elected to continue the landing attempt instead of performing a go-around and added power while maneuvering the airplane in a nose-low attitude. The propeller and nose landing gear impacted the runway surface and the airplane then pitched up, which resulted in a tail strike and substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.