10 passengers, pilot survive fiery float plane crash in Washington state, just south of Metro Vancouver

The U.S. Coast Guard in Puget Sound on July 23 received a report of a Kenmore Air seaplane that made an emergency landing in North Beach Shallow Bay near Orcas Island before catching fire. The aircraft had a reported 11 people aboard and all are accounted for. Screengrab from X

Article content

Ten passengers and a pilot survived a fiery float plane crash Thursday in the northern San Juan Islands, a popular U.S. tourist destination just south of Metro Vancouver.

Article content

The De Havilland Otter aircraft travelling from Seattle crashed shortly before 5:30 p.m. in Shallow Bay near the Sucia Islands — directly north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, according to Kenmore Air, which owns the plane.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Photos on social media show the plane on fire shortly after touching down in the water.

Article content

Article content

The company confirmed in a statement that everyone on board has been accounted for. A spokesperson told Postmedia that it’s not known if any passengers are Canadian.

Article content

The plane travelling from Seattle crashed shortly before 5:30 p.m. in Shallow Bay near the Sucia Islands — just north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, according to Kenmore Air, which owns the plane. Screengrab Google Maps

Article content

Emergency responders, including the U.S. Coast Guard, local emergency personnel,  a Canadian Coast Guard ship, and a B.C. air ambulance, all responded, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Article content

Six passengers were flown to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. Four passengers were transported to PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor and the pilot was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Article content

“Our highest priority is the care and support of our passengers, our pilot, and their families. Kenmore Air has activated its emergency response procedures and is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, local emergency responders,” the company said.

Article content

“Out of respect for those involved, we will not speculate regarding the cause of the accident.”

Article content

Kenmore Air cancelled all scheduled flights for Friday. Affected passengers were being contacted directly regarding rebooking or refund options.

Article content

Article content