Coast Guard releases names of those onboard seaplane that crashed near Seattle, leaving 1 dead and 9 missing
One person found deceased after crash in Washington's Mutiny Bay
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Coast Guard has released the names Tuesday of the 10 people who were on board a plane that crashed over the weekend in a bay about 30 miles north of Seattle, leaving one dead and nine missing.
The float plane, identified by Flightradar24 as a 55-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, crashed shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday into Mutiny Bay, near Whidbey Island. The Coast Guard suspended its search on Monday for victims, with one deceased individual being found.
"The Coast Guard offers its deepest sympathies to those who lost a loved one in this tragedy," Cmdr. Xochitl Castaneda, the search and rescue mission coordinator for the incident, said in a statement obtained by KUTV.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SEATTLE SEARCH SUSPENDED AS COAST GUARD ENDS HUNT FOR PILOT, PASSENGERS OF FLOATPLANE CRASH
A U.S. Coast Guard boat and Kitsap, Washington, County Sherrif boat search the area, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Freeland, Washington, on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle where a chartered floatplane crashed the day before. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
The statement said the deceased individual has "not yet been positively identified" and that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The names of the passengers, led by pilot Jason Winter, were Patricia Hicks, Sandra Williams, Lauren Hilty, Remy Nickel – a minor, Ross Mickel, Luke Ludwig, Rebecca Ludwig, Joanne Mera and Gabrielle Hanna.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The plane, which was operated by Northwest Seaplanes, took off from Friday Harbor and was heading to Renton Municipal Airport, which is just south of Seattle.
SEATTLE PLANE CRASH: ONE DEAD, NINE UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER FLOAT PLANE PLUNGES INTO BAY
A pair of U.S. Coast Guard vessels searches the area Monday, Sept. 5, near Freeland, Washington, on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle where a chartered floatplane crashed the day before. (AP/Stephen Brashear)
The Coast Guard searched throughout the night following the crash, but "no additional individuals were recovered and no debris spotted." Two aircraft and multiple patrol boat crews continued the search on Monday morning before it was suspended.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rick Rasmussen, who was on the beach with his wife when the plane crashed, told Fox 13 Seattle that they heard a loud boom followed by water splashing 20 to 30 feet in the air.
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The plane was en route from Friday Harbor, Washington, to Renton, Washington, when it crashed. (AP/Stephen Brashear)
"It sounded like dynamite went off," Rasmussen told the local news outlet, noting that they were looking through binoculars but couldn't see any wreckage or debris.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.