Search suspended for nine people missing in Washington float plane crash

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for survivors Monday after failing to locate nine people, including one child, missing in a float plane crash in Washington state's Puget Sound, bringing the death toll to 10.

The plane, which had departed Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands Sunday with 10 people on board, was bound for Renton, Wash., when it crashed near Whidbey Island about halfway through its 50-minute route.

The Coast Guard recovered one body on Sunday and spent much of Monday "saturating an area" of almost 2,800 square miles with ships, helicopters and planes to find the other nine passengers before calling off the search.

"All next of kin have been notified of this decision," the Coast Guard tweeted. "Our hearts go out to the families, loved ones and friends of those who remain missing and the deceased."

"The cause of the incident is unknown at this time," the Coast Guard said. The NTSB will continue to investigate.

"For whatever reason, it went straight for the water, didn't even attempt a landing, went straight down into the water," Terry Ney, deputy chief of operations for South Whidbey Fire & Rescue, told KIRO-TV. "At this point, we're not expecting to find any survivors."

The Coast Guard said watch standers at the Puget Sound command center received a report Sunday that a float plane with nine adults and one child aboard crashed into Mutiny Bay, west of Whidbey Island and north of Seattle, at about 3:10 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board identified the single-engine float plane as a DHC-3 Turbine Otter. The planes can carry up to 10 passengers with a crew of two and are a common sight over Puget Sound where daily flights shuttle passengers between Seattle's Lake Washington and the San Juan Islands.

Flightradar 24, which tracks air traffic, said the last signal it received from the 55-year-old aircraft was at about 3:08 p.m. when it was at an altitude of 100 feet over the bay.

The plane is currently about 200 feet deep in the water, according to South Whidbey Fire.

Northwest Seaplanes, which owned the aircraft, posted a statement Monday saying the company "is heartbroken" about the crash.

"We don't know any details yet regarding the cause of the accident. We are working with the FAA, NTSB and the Coast Guard," the company said on Instagram.

"We are praying for the families involved, including our pilot and his family."