A seaplane belonging to Kenmore Air crashed on the evening of Thursday, July 23, 2026, while attempting to make an emergency landing. Fortunately all 11 people onboard managed to get off the aircraft, though one is reportedly in critical condition.
Kenmore Air Plane With 11 People Onboard Crashes Into Coast
Kenmore Air is a Washington-based airline that operates a fleet of nearly 30 turboprop aircraft, with some being seaplanes. The carrier operates scheduled, charter, and scenic flights, has been around for 80 years, and is known for being highly reliable with a strong safety record.
At around 5:15PM on Thursday, July 23, 2026, one of the carrier’s de Havilland DHC-3 Otter aircraft was involved in a major accident. Flight number 140 was operated by a 66-year-old plane with the registration code N709KA. It had departed from Seattle’s Lake Union (LKE) and was scheduled to operate the 79-mile flight to Eastsound (ESD).
The accident occurred in Shallow Bay, near Sucia Island, 49 minutes after takeoff. The pilot was reportedly attempting an emergency landing, and while the plane initially made contact with water, it ended up hitting rocks along the coastline. Below is the full flight path.
A zoomed-in view shows the plane flew out past Eastsound, turned around, and then clearly attempted some sort of emergency landing.
There were 11 people onboard, including 10 passengers and one pilot. Emergency responders arrived immediately, and all 11 people were transported to hospitals or medical centers, with one reportedly in critical condition.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident were poor, with gusts of up to 20 miles per hour and rain moving into the area. Video footage captured both the accident itself and passengers evacuating the plane before it caught fire.
What an Investigation Into This Accident May Reveal
Kenmore Air CEO David Gudgel issued the following statement about the accident:
“This evening one of our aircraft was involved in an accident near Sucia Island. 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. We extend our sincere thanks to the United States Coast Guard, local emergency responders, and everyone assisting in the response. Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities, and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available.”
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Seaplanes have an inherent advantage when performing emergency landings over water, and given the abundance of water around the crash site, the aircraft ending up on rocks appears to have been a matter of extremely unfortunate circumstances. Investigators will need to determine what led to the emergency in the first place and how the plane came to strike the coastline.
Bottom Line
A Kenmore Air de Havilland DHC-3 Otter crashed near Sucia Island, Washington while reportedly attempting an emergency landing. Given that this was a seaplane, an emergency water landing would ordinarily be considered relatively manageable — making the sequence of events all the more puzzling. Fortunately, all 11 people onboard were rescued, and it is hoped that the individual in critical condition makes a full recovery as authorities continue their investigation.
