Witnesses rushed to help as fire engulfed the fuselage
A Kenmore Air seaplane carrying 10 passengers and a pilot crashed near Sucia Island in Washington state on Thursday afternoon, and all 11 people aboard were rescued from the water by a multi-agency response including good Samaritan boaters, authorities said. The aircraft caught fire after the crash, and injuries ranged from head injuries to broken bones and lacerations, with one person in critical condition.
The crash occurred at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The plane, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Kenmore Air, was traveling from Seattle to Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands when it went down near Sucia Island, a popular tourist destination north of Seattle.
Videos posted on social media show the aircraft banking to one side as it flies low over the water near some boats close to shore. The plane makes a hard landing, first on one float, then briefly skips into the air before hitting the rocky coast. The person taking the video gasps as a crunching sound is heard when the plane crashes just out of sight.
Witnesses rushed to help. People can be seen getting out of the plane as smoke rises before bright orange flames engulf the fuselage, which came to rest partially submerged against a large rock.
The Coast Guard said it issued an “Urgent Marine Information Broadcast” to mariners in the area, and “numerous good Samaritan vessels responded to assist” in the rescue. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said everyone on the plane was rescued from the water. Orcas Island Fire & Rescue confirmed that all aboard had been rescued and were receiving medical care or being transported from the scene.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said there were “multiple patients with injuries ranging from head injuries to broken bones and lacerations, with 1 patient in critical condition.”
Kenmore Air confirmed in a statement that one of its planes “was involved in an accident” and said all scheduled passengers and the pilot were accounted for.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.