Coast Guard suspends search for nine people missing after plane crash in Puget Sound

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The search for nine people who remain missing after a floatplane crash in Washington state has been called off, says the US Coast Guard.

At least one person has been confirmed dead after their body was recovered by a good Samaritan in the waters of the state’s Puget Sound on Sunday.

“It is always difficult when it comes time to make a decision to stop searching,” said Captain Daniel Broadhurst, incident management branch chief for the 13th Coast Guard District on Monday.

The float plane was flying from Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands to Renton Municipal Airport when it crashed in Mutiny Bay, which is around 30 miles northwest of Seattle.

The plane was 18 minutes into a 50-minute flight when the accident happened, and no distress call was made.

Authorities say that nine adults and one child were onboard the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter propeller aircraft at the time.

The Coast Guard says that the body recovered was that of a female victim.

The plane was operated by Friday Harbor Seaplanes, which is a company owned by Northwest Seaplanes.

Northwest Seaplanes released a statement on the accident on Monday.

“The team at Northwest Seaplanes is heartbroken, we don’t know any details yet regarding the cause of the accident. We are working with the FAA, NTSB, and Coast Guard. We have been in communication with the families. We are praying for the families involved, including our pilot and his family.”