All 11 people aboard a Kenmore Air flight survived when their plane heading to Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands crashed Thursday evening off Sucia Island.
The de Havilland DHC-3 Otter aircraft took off from Seattle and made an emergency landing in Shallow Bay around 5:15 p.m., then caught fire, according to Kenmore Air and the Coast Guard. Videos and photos from the scene showed pieces of the plane strewn on rocks and in the water with a large plume of black smoke.
Four people were injured, including one in critical condition. Two were taken to Bellingham medical facilities and two to Orcas Island for a medical evaluation. The San Juan County sheriff's office said injuries ranged from head injuries to broken bones and lacerations."
Sucia Island is a small island north of Orcas Island and about 4 miles south of the U.S.-Canada maritime border.
While they serve a relatively small number of people, seaplanes are an omnipresent part of Seattle's summer skyline, with hundreds of flights taking off or landing each day on Lake Union and Lake Washington, bound for Salish Sea islands or just sightseeing cruises.
On Thursday, thunderstorms were moving through the area at the time of the crash, with 12 to 20 mph gusts and 10 mile visibility, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Harrison Rademacher.
With the Seattle-Roche Harbor flight time ranging from 30 to 45 minutes, the pilot usually flies northwest from Seattle and along the Whidbey Island coastline, then passes west of Lopez Island before landing at Roche Harbor, at the top of San Juan Island.
The plane on Thursday took off at 4:33 p.m. and headed northwest, then flew east of Lopez, Decatur and Blakely islands before curving around Orcas Island, according to FlightRadar24, which tracks flight paths. North of Waldron Island, the plane made a hairpin turn and flew east before rapidly descending and crashing off Sucia Island.
Kenmore Air, which flies out of both Lake Union and a base at Kenmore on the north end of Lake Washington, is the largest seaplane operator in the United States, flying more than 90,000 passengers a year on flights to more than 45 destinations throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada. The company employs 52 pilots and operates 25 aircraft.
They serve commuters — island residents heading to Seattle and vice versa — and tourists.
The operator said Thursday afternoon it has activated its "emergency response procedures" and wouldn't speculate on the cause of the crash.
"We are grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for, and our immediate focus is ensuring our passengers and pilot receive the care and support they need, Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel said in a prepared statement.
The plane that crashed, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, is the largest and most powerful plane that Kenmore flies, able to carry 10 passengers and with a range of about 500 miles.
Seaplanes have been taking off from Lake Union since 1914, when an exhibition pilot arrived in town and took then-Mayor Hiram Gill for a leisurely flight. Two years later, Bill Boeing took off from Lake Union in a plane called Bluebill, the first Boeing B&W aircraft. Lake Union would go on to become the first airmail destination in the United States and a hub of flight schools and seaplane operations.
Today, flights service the San Juans, Victoria and islands in British Columbia from Lake Union, Boeing Field and Tacoma. Kenmore Air also offers sightseeing flights around Seattle, the South Sound and Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens.
In September 2022, a floatplane operated by Renton-based Friday Harbor Seaplanes crashed off Whidbey Island, killing all 10 people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was caused by a broken link between the pilot's controls and the plane's tail.
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