A Kenmore Air seaplane carrying 11 people crashed into the water near Sucia Island in Washington’s San Juan Islands on, injuring several passengers, including one critically, before everyone aboard was rescued in a multi-agency response.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, operating as Kenmore Air Flight 140, caught fire during an emergency landing near Sucia Island. According to the airline, the aircraft went down in Shallow Bay after departing Seattle’s Lake Union at about 4:30 p.m. for Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Kenmore Air said the accident occurred around 5:15 p.m., while the FAA placed the crash at about 5:20 p.m. local time.
Rescue operation
All 11 people aboard — the pilot and 10 passengers — were rescued and taken to hospitals, Kenmore Air said.
According to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, one passenger was in critical condition.
The airline said six passengers were transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, four to PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor and the pilot to Skagit Valley Hospital. Two additional injured passengers were taken to a hospital on Orcas Island.
By Friday morning, a man and woman in their 20s had been transferred to Harborview Medical Center in satisfactory condition.
Kenmore Air’s response
“This evening one of our aircraft was involved in an accident near Sucia Island,” Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel said in a statement.
“We are grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for and our immediate focus is ensuring our passengers and pilot receive the care and support they need,” Gudgel said, adding that “Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available.”
Kenmore Air canceled all scheduled Friday flights so staff could focus on supporting passengers, families, employees and emergency responders. The airline said it would not speculate on the cause of the crash while the investigation continues.
Video captures final moments
Video recorded by a nearby boater shows the aircraft flying low before banking sharply left and striking rocks near the shoreline.
The footage prompted online speculation that lightning may have contributed to the crash, though Kenmore Air has not identified a cause.
Investigation underway
Federal investigators are examining the cause of the accident.
Aviation analyst John Nance told KIRO 7 that the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will review every aspect of the flight.
“They’ll take a long period of time, whatever is necessary, to be able to chase down other clues, other leads, eyewitnesses and be able to come up with a probable cause,” Nance said.
He added, “What we don’t know yet and what we will know fairly soon, is was this an attempted emergency landing and if so, what went wrong?”
Wreckage remains on shoreline
The burned floatplane remained on rocks along the Sucia Island shoreline as the U.S. Coast Guard and other responding agencies worked to secure the scene and mitigate any potential environmental impacts.