On Thursday, a seaplane with ten passengers and a pilot caught fire while trying to make an emergency landing near Washington Island, resulting in several injuries, some of them serious.
The incident involved a de Havilland DHC-3 single-engine aircraft owned by Kenmore Airlines. The crash occurred in Shallow Bay off Sucia Island, roughly 90 miles north of Seattle and about 4 miles from the Canadian border, at around 5:15 p.m. local time, just 45 minutes after the plane took off from Seattle.
The plane reportedly attempted to land before the fire erupted.
The aircraft was completely consumed by flames and damaged, ultimately resting in the water just a short distance from Sucia Island’s rocky shore.
Remarkably, all ten people on board were rescued after the fire, according to officials.
According to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, one individual was in critical condition, while others suffered a range of injuries from head trauma to fractures and lacerations.
The Coast Guard transported two injured passengers to a hospital in Bellingham, which is about a 20-minute boat ride away from the crash site. Another two were taken to Orcas Island for testing and further treatment.
Various agencies responded to the scene, including the police department and the Coast Guard, as mentioned by Orcas Island Fire Rescue on Facebook.
The plane was en route to the port of Loches, located approximately 32 miles from where it went down, as reported by King 5 News.
David Guggell, the CEO of Kenmore, expressed gratitude that all identities were confirmed and emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting their passengers and crew.
Gugel stated, “Our primary focus right now is on the care and support for those affected. We’re thankful to the U.S. Coast Guard and local emergency responders for their help. Kenmore Air is cooperating fully with the investigation and will provide updates as they become available.”
The cause of the emergency landing and subsequent fire is still under investigation, with both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board looking into the incident.
Meteorologist Harrison Rademacher from the National Weather Service reported that a thunderstorm was occurring in the area around the time of the crash, with wind gusts between 12 and 20 miles per hour and visibility of 16 miles.
Kenmore Air operates more than 90,000 flights annually, making it the largest seaplane operator in the United States and connecting over 45 destinations across the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
