Cessna 182 Found Crashed Near Granite Falls, Washington

State and federal authorities say a Cessna 182 stolen from a cattle farm in Boundary County, Idaho may be the work of a teenager believed to have taught himself to fly.

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The possible suspect is Colton Harris-Moore, an 18-year-old serial burglar who escaped from a juvenile facility in April 2008. He has allegedly stolen aircraft twice before, according to police. The Seattle Times said one was a similar Cessna 182, taken from an Orcas Island, Washington, the other an unnamed experimental aircraft that Harris-Moore allegedly flew to Orcas Island. He reportedly made "hard landings" in both incidents.

The Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review reports that, in this most recent incident, a construction crew reported seeing the 182 flying south or southwest early Tuesday morning last week. It went down in a clearing near Granite Falls, Washington, and was declared a total loss. The pilot apparently walked away. Authorities described the incident as "survivable."

Harris-Moore is not an official suspect, according to Boundary County Sheriff’s detective Dave McClelland. He said the crime were similar, but there was no hard evidence linking Harris-Moore to the airplane theft.

Cattle farmer Patrick Gardiner, the plane's owner, said while that may be the case, "everything’s pointing to it.”

FMI: http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Sheriff