The Coast Guard mentioned one particular person has died and not less than eight others have been the topics of a search on waters close to Seattle after a floatplane crashed.
The company introduced simply earlier than 6 p.m. {that a} physique believed to be linked to the crash in Mutiny Bay had been recovered. “Eight people stay unaccounted for,” it mentioned.
A de Havilland DHC-3 Otter floatplane went down off Whidbey Island about 3:10 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned in an announcement.
The company mentioned preliminary experiences signifies 10 folks have been on board. The Coast Guard’s depend was 9, one among them presumably a baby.
“A floor security zone has been positioned across the scene of the crash,” the Coast Guard mentioned.
The businesses aiding the Coast Guard included the Island County Sheriff’s Workplace, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Workplace and South Whidbey Fireplace/EMS, the federal company mentioned.
The airplane took off from Friday Harbor, Washington, roughly 100 miles north of Seattle, en path to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport, the Coast Guard mentioned. The crash website off Whidbey Island is about 40 miles north of Seattle.
The FAA and the Nationwide Transportation Security Board will examine.
Floatplanes just like the de Havilland normally use parallel pontoons for takeoffs and landings utilizing waterways as a substitute of runways. The airplane was designed as a short-takeoff-and-landing plane, that are favored for places the place runways are comparatively quick.
Todd Miyazawa and Jay Blackman contributed.
