A floatplane carrying 10 passengers and a pilot burst into flames as it crash-landed while trying to make an emergency landing in the waters off a Washington island Thursday — leaving several on board injured, including one critically.
The de Havilland DHC-3 single-engine bush plane went down in Shallow Bay off Sucia Island — about 90 miles north of Seattle and four miles from the Canadian border — at around 5:15 p.m. local time, roughly 45 minutes after taking off from Seattle, the US Coast Guard told Fox 13 News.
The floatplane, owned by Kenmore Air, was attempting an emergency landing before catching fire.
Video of the crash shows the single-engine plane completely engulfed in flames and torn to pieces, resting on top of the water just feet away from the rocky shore of Sucia Island.
Miraculously, all 10 passengers and the pilot were accounted for following the fiery wreck, officials said.
Officials said one of the individuals was in critical condition, and that injuries among those treated ranged from “head injuries to broken bones and lacerations,” the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office told King 5 News.
Two injured passengers were rushed by the Coast Guard to a hospital in Bellingham — about a 20-minute boat ride from the crash site on the mainland.
Another two were taken to nearby Orcas Island for evaluation and treatment.
The Orcas Island Fire and Rescue wrote on Facebook that multiple agencies, including their department, the Coast Guard and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the crash site.
The plane was headed to Roche Harbor — about 20 miles from where it went down, King 5 News reported.
Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel confirmed to the outlet that the plane belonged to his company, and he was “grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for.”
“Our immediate focus is ensuring our passengers and pilot receive the care and support they need,” Gudgel said in the statement.
“We extend our sincere thanks to the United States Coast Guard, local emergency responders, and everyone assisting in the response. Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities, and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available.”
The cause of the emergency landing and fire remains under investigation.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the crash, King 5 News reported.
At the time of the crash, thunderstorms were rolling through the area, producing wind gusts of 12 to 20 mph, with visibility at 10 miles, National Weather Service meteorologist Harrison Rademacher said, the Seattle Times reported.
Kenmore Air, the largest seaplane operator in the US, flies more than 90,000 passengers annually to over 45 destinations across the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
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