10 presumed dead in floatplane crash
Published Date: 9/6/2022
Source: KING 5
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) suspended the search Monday for nine people who remain missing after a floatplane crashed near Whidbey Island. At least one person, whose body was recovered Sunday by a good Samaritan, was killed. “It is always difficult when it comes time to make a decision to stop searching,” said Capt. Daniel Broadhurst, incident management branch chief for the 13th Coast Guard District. The plane was flying from Friday Harbor, a popular tourist destination in the San Juan Islands, to Renton Municipal Airport when the crash was reported at 3:10 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. The plane crashed in Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island, roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Seattle and about halfway between Friday Harbor and Renton. Data posted on Flight Aware shows the plane last observed near Oak Harbor, which was 18 minutes into what is normally a 50-minute flight. The floatplane didn't send a distress call, according to the Coast Guard. Officials said nine adults and one child were aboard the aircraft. It is not known if the one confirmed death was the child or an adult. The one recovered body was a female, according to USCG. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/us-coast-guard-crews-respond-to-report-of-plane-crash-west-of-whidbey-island/281-ba487990-aef3-4614-93c6-0e2a36569b19