A Kenmore Air flight went down in the water near Sucia Island in San Juan County on Thursday after departing Lake Union at about 4:30 p.m. en route to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Rescue crews responded as the U.S. Coast Guard conducted operations on scene.
Lake Union departure
The flight’s route placed it over the San Juan Islands and within the area where water rescue can become the first priority after an aircraft goes down. The departure time, about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, is the last confirmed point in the flight’s journey before emergency crews were sent to the scene.
Kenmore Air and Orcas Island Fire
Kenmore Air said 10 people were aboard. Orcas Island Fire & Rescue initially reported as many as 11 patients could be involved, a difference that changes how responders count the people they must account for at the scene.
That gap between 10 and 11 matters for rescue crews because a single missing count changes the search area and the number of people they are trying to locate and assess. In this case, the initial reports and the airline’s count did not match.
Coast Guard rescue response
The U.S. Coast Guard was on scene conducting rescue operations. Officials had not released information about the type of aircraft, the condition of those involved, or what may have caused the crash.
For anyone connected to the flight, the immediate issue is the condition of the people aboard. The scene response has started, but the basic questions about injuries and the aircraft’s role in the crash had not been answered at the time of reporting.
