SAN JAUN ISLANDS— All 11 people aboard a Kenmore Air seaplane survived after the aircraft made an emergency landing and caught fire Thursday evening near Sucia Island in Washington state’s San Juan Islands, the airline and U.S. Coast Guard said.
The single-engine de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, identified as Flight 140, departed Seattle’s Lake Union around 4:30 p.m. PDT with 10 passengers and one pilot, bound for Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. It went down in Shallow Bay about 5:15 p.m., according to Kenmore Air.
The floatplane erupted in flames after the landing and came to rest against rocks near the shore. Coast Guard crews, local responders and others quickly accounted for everyone aboard. Four passengers were hospitalized with injuries ranging from head trauma and broken bones to lacerations; one was listed in critical condition. Two were taken to hospitals in Bellingham and two to facilities on Orcas Island or in Seattle. The remaining seven were evaluated at a Coast Guard station in Bellingham.
Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel said in a statement that the company is “grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for” and is focused on supporting the passengers, pilot and their families while fully cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Sucia Island, a state marine park in the San Juan Islands archipelago about 80 miles north of Seattle near the Canadian border, is a popular destination for boaters and seaplane travelers. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
