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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Several people were injured, one of them critically, after a seaplane crashed off the coast of Washington state on Thursday, authorities said.
“A De Havilland DHC-3 seaplane crashed near Sucia Island in Washington State around 5:20 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 23,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement to Newsweek. “Eleven people were on board. The airplane was flying from Kenmore Air Seaplane Base to Roche Harbor Seaplane Base. The FAA will investigate.”
The Kenmore Air seaplane made an emergency landing in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island in the San Juan Islands before catching fire, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a post on Facebook. Images posted on social media appear to show the seaplane on fire in the water.
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The Coast Guard, along with the U.S. Navy, Canadian and local responders, launched assets to assist with the rescue, the Coast Guard said.
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All 11 people—the pilot and 10 passengers—were rescued from the water, the Coast Guard and the San Juan County Sheriff's Office said.
"There are multiple patients with injuries ranging from head injuries to broken bones and lacerations, with 1 patient in critical condition and no reports of fatalities at this time," the sheriff's office said.
The injured passengers were transported to hospitals in Bellingham, Friday Harbor and Skagit County for evaluation and treatment, the Coast Guard said.
Kenmore Air said the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter aircraft had crashed about 45 minutes after takeoff from Lake Union in Seattle.
The airline said it has canceled all scheduled flights for Friday.
"We are grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for, and our immediate focus is ensuring our passengers and pilot receive the care and support they need," Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel said in a statement.
"We extend our sincere thanks to the United States Coast Guard, local emergency responders, and everyone assisting in the response," he said. "Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities, and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available."
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA will investigate the cause of the emergency landing and fire, the Coast Guard said.
Newsweek has contacted the Coast Guard and the NTSB for comment via email.
Kenmore Air flies more than 90,000 passengers annually on scheduled, scenic and charter flights to more than 45 destinations in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
The airline operates 25 aircraft, its fleet consisting of de Havilland Beavers, de Havilland Otters and Cessna Caravans, according to its website.
The airline has had one fatal crash in its history. All seven people on board a DHC-2 Beaver died when it crashed in Stevens Pass, Washington, in October 1977. An investigation found the pilot had made “improper in-flight decisions,” including not balancing the aircraft’s load and flying too low.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Stevenson and Tony Phillips
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