Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Forensics
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Washington, D.C., Philly and NYC face flash flood risk. Click for travel impacts. Chevron right
Back-to-back tropical threat for Hawaii. Click for the track forecast. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

67°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

67°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
Get Premium+
Create Your Account Unlock extended daily and hourly forecasts — all with your free account.
Let's Go Chevron right
Have an account already? Log In
settings
Help
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly 10-Day Radar MinuteCast® Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Forensics

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

Top Stories Severe Weather Hurricane Center Astronomy Heat Alert Climate Recreation Trending Today Health In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Travel

11 people rescued after seaplane crashes and burns off Washington coast

By Martin Goillandeau, Aaron Cooper, CNN

Published Jul 24, 2026 11:57 AM EDT | Updated Jul 24, 2026 11:57 AM EDT

Copied

The Kenmore Air seaplane made an emergency landing in North Beach Shallow Bay before catching fire, the Coast Guard said. (Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest via CNN Newsource)

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a seaplane carrying 11 people making an emergency landing, crashed and erupted into flames off the coast of Washington, prompting a multi-agency search and rescue operation.

Kenmore Air flight 140, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter aircraft, went down Thursday evening in the water near Sucia Island, in the San Juan Islands, according to a statement from the company.

All 11 people, a pilot and 10 passengers, aboard the seaplane have been accounted for and were taken to the hospital, the airline said.

One person is in critical condition, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office told CNN affiliate KING. The victims’ injuries range from “head injuries to broken bones and lacerations.”

Five passengers have already been discharged from the hospital and two more are expected to be later today, KING reported Friday morning. Three others remain hospitalized.

What prompted the plane to make an emergency landing is unknown.

Video from a nearby boat showed the plane preparing to land, tilting to its left before bouncing on the water and disappearing from view. The plane’s propeller did not appear to be spinning.

A later video clip showed the aircraft beached against rocks as passengers climbed from the plane before it eventually was consumed by fire.

Kenmore Air said in a statement the floatplane took off at 4:30 p.m. from Lake Union in Seattle for the roughly 100 mile flight to the resort community of Roche Harbor in the island chain. The plane went down around 45 minutes after takeoff, roughly 15 miles from its destination.

The San Juan Islands are a popular tourist destination with whale watching, sea kayaking and other outdoor activities attracting visitors in the summer.

On Thursday, the US Coast Guard said it received initial reports around 5:25 p.m. and immediately launched search and rescue assets, alongside the US Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and local agencies.

Emergency dispatch audio captured authorities coordinating search and rescue efforts, including the deployment of one US Coast Guard helicopter and a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft.

“We have multiple vessels in the water,” a person says over the audio dispatch. Later, a radio call says two boats had rescued people who were on board the plane.

“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 the statement.

“Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities, and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available,” Gudgel said.

The airline said it canceled all of its scheduled flights for Friday as the team “focuses on supporting the passengers, pilot, families, employees, and emergency response efforts.”

Founded in 1946, Kenmore Air is the largest seaplane airline in the United States, flying over 90,000 passengers annually on scheduled, scenic and charter flights.

The plane that crashed was a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, a popular single-engine aircraft that’s used as a float plane but it can also be equipped with wheels or skis for other rugged operations.

There were 466 of the planes made between 1951 and 1967, though many have been upgraded in the decades since. Kenmore said on its website that its “Otters have all been overhauled and incorporate many enhanced features.”

While the cause of the crash is unknown, weather conditions around the time had ground-level wind gusts out of the south at 20 mph and rain showers moving into the area.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Read more:

Two planes nearly collided in Boston after a false alarm
TSA security to be privatized at Tampa International Airport
Wreckage of Pan Am plane found 74 years after it crashed off Puerto Rico

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather Forecasts

Heat on hiatus as taste of autumn comes to Midwest, interior Northeast

Aug. 21, 2026
Weather Forecasts

Washington, D.C., Philly and NYC face flash flood risk this weekend

Aug. 21, 2026
Severe Weather

Severe storms to pester Plains, Midwest and East into Friday night

Aug. 21, 2026
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Hurricane Center

Astronomy

Heat Alert

Climate

Recreation

Trending Today

Health

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Climate

The 2026 El Niño could become the strongest in a lifetime

20 hours ago

Hurricane

Back-to-back tropical threat for Hawaii, impacts to start this weekend

47 minutes ago

Weather News

Why did Miami, Florida hit 100 degrees for only 2nd time on record?

16 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Pacific storm could spark wildfires across the Northwest

32 minutes ago

Hurricane

35 years ago, Hurricane Bob struck New England, a track never repeated

19 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Lala leaves Hawaii communities buried in mud, communication cut off

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Fall allergy forecast: Weed, grass pollen to surge in parts of US

1 day ago

Recreation

250-pound black bear dies after becoming trapped in Colorado car

1 day ago

Climate

Lake Powell sinks to record low as Colorado River crisis deepens

2 days ago

Recreation

American tourist dies after lightning strike on Mount Etna

2 days ago

AccuWeather Travel 11 people rescued after seaplane crashes and burns off Washington coast
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy™ About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy™ About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2026 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information | Data Sources

...

...

...