Search suspended for 9 missing after fatal floatplane crash north of Seattle

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search Monday afternoon for nine people, including a child, who were missing after a floatplane crashed in the waters of Puget Sound north of Seattle.

The body of a 10th person was recovered on Sunday after the crash was reported at 3:11 p.m. PT, Coast Guard spokesperson William Colclough said Monday.

Later Monday, the Coast Guard said it was suspending the search after "saturating an area'' of around 7,250 square kilometres.

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

The Northwest Seaplanes flight left Friday Harbor, Wash. — a popular tourist destination in the San Juan Islands east of Victoria — and was headed to Renton Municipal Airport, the company's base, Colclough said.

The plane went down in Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island, roughly 50 kilometres north of downtown Seattle and about halfway between Friday Harbor and Renton, a suburb south of Seattle.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it was sending a team of seven to investigate the crash of the DHC-3 Turbine Otter.

The cause of the crash is unknown, authorities said.

Jon Gabelein of South Whidbey Fire/EMS told Seattle radio station KOMO that witnesses on the shore reported seeing the plane "nose dive into the water.''

Four Coast Guard vessels, a rescue helicopter and an aircraft had been involved in the extensive search, along with nearby rescue and law enforcement agencies.

The Coast Guard said early Monday that crews searched throughout the night, "but no additional individuals were recovered and no debris spotted."

Northwest Seaplanes is a family owned business founded by Clyde Carlson, according to the company's website, which claims the company has 24 years of "accident and incident free flying."

The company's business office next to the seaplane dock at the Renton Municipal Airport remained closed behind fencing on Monday. The only visible activity was two people hugging near the front door. The only floatplane at the dock appeared to be a small private Cessna.

A woman who answered the phone early Monday said they're waiting to learn more and are devastated by the crash.

"It's a small crew. Everyone's close," said the woman, who would only give her first name, Michelle. She declined to say more.

The Northwest Seaplanes website said its sister company Friday Harbor Seaplanes operates daily flights to and from its Renton base and the San Juan Islands, a scenic archipelago near the border with British Columbia that draws tourists from around the world.

Floatplanes, which have pontoons allowing them to land on water, are a common sight around Puget Sound, part of the Salish Sea that extends north into B.C. There are multiple daily flights between the Seattle area and the San Juan Islands, as well as to Vancouver.

In 2019, a midair crash in Alaska between two sightseeing planes killed six people. The Ketchikan-based floatplanes were carrying passengers from the same cruise ship, the Royal Princess, and were returning from tours of Misty Fjords National Monument.