Seattle search suspended as Coast Guard ends hunt for pilot, passengers of float plane crash

The Coast Guard suspended its search on Monday for victims of a plane crash that left nine people missing and one person dead in a bay north of Seattle, Washington.

The float plane, identified by Flightradar24 as a 55-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, crashed shortly after 3:00 p.m. into Mutiny Bay, about 30 miles north of downtown Seattle. 

One child and nine adults were on board. One deceased individual was recovered from the water on Sunday afternoon, but nine others are still missing. Their next-of-kin has been notified of the halt to the search, the Coast Guard said. 

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.

Northwest Seaplanes did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. 

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The Coast Guard searched throughout the night 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.  

Several other agencies, including the Island County Sheriff, Snohomish County Sheriff, and South Whidbey Fire/EMS, were also involved in the search. 

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. 

“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.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.