On Thursday evening, a Kenmore Air seaplane flying from Seattle to Roche Harbor (San Juan Island) was forced to land near Sucia Island in the waters of Shallow Bay. The De Havilland DHC-3 Otter caught fire after touching the water, but all 11 people aboard, including the pilot, were rescued. The U.S. Coast Guard and Kenmore Air confirmed that no one died.
As a result of the accident, four people were injured, one of whom is in critical condition. The injured were taken to medical facilities in Bellingham and on Orcas Island. San Juan County authorities reported head injuries, fractures, and lacerations. The other passengers were not hurt.
The aircraft departed Seattle at 16:33 and followed the usual route along the coast, then circled Lopez, Decatur, and Blakeley islands. However, north of Waldron Island, it made a sharp turn and began rapidly descending, after which it crashed near Sucia Island. At the time of the accident, meteorologists reported thunderstorms in the area with gusts up to 20 miles per hour and visibility of about 10 miles.
Kenmore Air is the largest seaplane operator in the United States, carrying more than 90,000 passengers each year across 45 destinations in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. The company said it activated emergency procedures and is focused on assisting the injured. CEO David Gagel expressed gratitude that all passengers are alive.
Seaplanes are an integral part of Seattle’s aviation history. Lake Union, located in the heart of the city, with its calm waters, became a natural base for seaplane aviation: the first flight from it took place as far back as 1914. Two years later, it was here that William Boeing—an American industrialist who owned a lumber business and founded the Boeing company in 1916—took off in a seaplane. His enterprise turned Seattle into a global aviation manufacturing hub, and Lake Union remains the city’s main “airport on the water” to this day. Today, Kenmore Air planes serve not only the San Juan Islands but also Victoria, and offer sightseeing flights over Seattle and the mountains. The San Juan Islands are a popular vacation destination with scenic nature, nature reserves, and the chance to see whales. You can reach them by car only via ferry, so seaplanes have become a fast and convenient way to get directly from downtown Seattle to the islands in 30 to 40 minutes.
The crash occurred less than two years after the September 2022 tragedy, when a seaplane from another company crashed off Whidbey Island, killing all 10 people aboard. At the time, an investigation found that the cause was a communications failure between the pilot’s controls and the tail assembly. The reasons for the current crash have not been determined, and Kenmore Air is not speculating.
Based on: Kenmore Air plane crashes off Sucia Island in San Juans; 11 rescued - The Seattle Times