A Spokane civil rights activist and a Woodinville vintner and his family are some of the 10 people presumed dead in Sunday's seaplane crash off Whidbey Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
On Tuesday, the Coast Guard released the identities of the nine people still missing and one found dead following the plane crash. Their places of residence and ages were not given but relatives of four victims confirmed their identities on Monday to Washington media outlets.
They are:
The plane, piloted by Winters and carrying nine passengers, nose-dived into Mutiny Bay around 3 p.m. approximately 18 minutes after departing Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. It was headed to Renton Municipal Airport's seaplane base, about 80 miles from Friday Harbor.
"We are deeply saddened and beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved Ross Mickel, Lauren Hilty, Remy and their unborn baby boy, Luca. Our collective grief is unimaginable," the couple's family said in a statement.
Williams' brother, Rick Williams, told The Spokesman Review that his sister was on the plane, returning from a San Juan Islands vacation.
"This is a loss to the whole community, not just the Black community," Spokane City Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson told the newspaper. "A light so bright has been extinguished."
Mera's family told Seattle TV station Fox 13 that she was a San Diego businesswoman who was visiting family members in Washington state. She leaves behind a husband and three children.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched helicopters and boats Sunday to search for nine of the people on board. Boaters pulled a body from the water shortly after the crash. The Coast Guard called off the search at noon Monday.
In addition to the Coast Guard, crews from South Whidbey Fire, Island County Sheriff's Office and Snohomish County Sheriff's office are on the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates plane crashes, has dispatched a team.
No immediate cause for the crash of the de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter was offered by authorities. The single-engine, high-wing plane was last produced in 1967.
The plane was flown by Friday Harbor Seaplanes which advertises daily scheduled flights between the popular resort town and Renton.
In a statement Monday afternoon on Facebook, the airline's parent company, Northwest Seaplanes, said it had no details on the cause of the crash and is working with investigators.
"We have been in communication with the families," the company said. "We are praying for the families involved, including our pilot and his family."
Based on his presence on the company's social media feeds, Winters has been with the company for several years. A pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration lists his residence as Chelan County.
Seaplanes take off and land on water using two large floats or pontoons attached to the plane's fuselage. In the air, they operate much like a land-based airplane but the floats increase drag.
With the 10 apparent deaths, including a child, the crash represents the deadliest air disaster in the United States this year.
In 2019, two seaplanes on sightseeing trips collided mid-air over George Inlet, Alaska resulting in the deaths of six people.
