The search for the missing Tacoma pilot continues this week in Ariel

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Search crews continue to look for a missing Tacoma Pilot.

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Rodney Collen took off in his 2006 Cessna T182 Turbo Skylane on March 6 from the Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor. He’s not been seen since.

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The plane descended near the Jefferson and Grays Harbor county line on Quinault tribal land near Queets, WSDOT officials said. They’ve been posting updates about the search online.

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WSDOT was able to determine Collen’s descent with the help of a specialized radar forensics team, Tina Werner, a public information officer for WSDOT, told the Gateway Wednesday.

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“Primary radar returns were located that placed the aircraft near the coast between Lake Quinault and Queets,” Werner said. “The final radar plots show the aircraft made a very rapid descent to the ground.”

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Rod Collen and his fiancé, Shannon Garrett, sit in front of their mushroom-shaped home they built together from scratch on their property in Lakebay, Wash., on Aug. 13, 2022. The couple appeared with The News Tribune for an article about the home near Penrose State Park.
Rod Collen and his fiancé, Shannon Garrett, sit in front of their mushroom-shaped home they built together from scratch on their property in Lakebay, Wash., on Aug. 13, 2022. The couple appeared with The News Tribune for an article about the home near Penrose State Park. Cheyenne Boone

WSDOT narrowed the search area to a 36-square-mile area.

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Because the narrowed area consists of difficult terrain, ground searches have not been conducted yet.

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“No ground searches are happening at this time until we can identify more specific areas,” WSDOT posted Wednesday.

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Werner added that the area is swampy and that to cover the entire search area with ground crews isn’t practical.

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“There are no relative nearby structures or open fields, making terrain challenging for even experienced search crews,” she said. “When a target of interest is located, ground searchers may be used to assess those sightings to further evaluate what they are.”

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Rod Collen stands in the home he built from scratch with his fiance on their property in Lakebay, Wash., on Aug. 13, 2022. The couple appeared with The News Tribune for an article about the home near Penrose State Park.
Rod Collen stands in the home he built from scratch with his fiance on their property in Lakebay, Wash., on Aug. 13, 2022. The couple appeared with The News Tribune for an article about the home near Penrose State Park. Cheyenne Boone

Search crews have been flying over the narrowed search area this week, but have not spotted the aircraft or pilot, according to WSDOT. They plan to continue the aerial search Thursday.

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Washington State Department of Transportation Air Search and Rescue crews and Washington Air Search and Rescue, a nonprofit flight group, have helped with the search.

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“Additionally, Quinault Tribal Nation emergency management crews flew a drone over the search area, but also found nothing of significance,” WSDOT posted Tuesday.

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Weather conditions have impacted search efforts in the past week.

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“Some snow melt has occurred, which is positive news for air search crews as snow has been obscuring much of the search area,” WSDOT posted Tuesday night.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 5:57 p.m.

Aspen Shumpert is a reporter for The Peninsula Gateway. She grew up in Tacoma and graduated from Washington State University in May 2022. She started working at The News Tribune in March 2022.

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