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Plane Crashes

Pilot Reported Severe Weather Before Washington Float Plane Crash, NTSB Says

A de Havilland DHC-3 Otter crashed near Sucia Island, Washington, on July 23, seriously injuring the pilot and two passengers.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 4:55 p.m. ET
The pilot of a float plane changed course to avoid a thunderstorm and reported severe weather that prevented the flight from continuing, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited by Castanet. The plane crashed near in the San Juan Islands, Washington, on July 23, and erupted in flames. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured, and eight passengers received minor injuries, the NTSB report said. A post-accident fire destroyed the fuselage after all passengers and the pilot had exited. The aircraft, a , was up to date on maintenance, with its latest 100-hour inspection completed on June 25, according to Castanet. The cause of the crash has not been determined; the NTSB's report is part of an ongoing investigation. The aircraft involved has not been identified. Registry records list as operating 29 aircraft, of which 22 match the reported type, but those records do not identify the specific aircraft in this incident.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
108 ft
Nearest aerodrome
3.5 miles N of Orcas Island Airport (KORS/ESD)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 20:55current

    First published.

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