Death toll rises to 4 after plane crashes, catches fire in field near Snohomish
Nov 19, 2022, 3:10 PM
A plane crashed and caught fire in Snohomish County near Harvey Field last Friday. (Courtesy of Mark Horner via Twitter @beyond90seconds)
(Courtesy of Mark Horner via Twitter @beyond90seconds)
Four people are confirmed to have died in a small plane that crashed into a field and caught fire near Snohomish, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
“With assistance from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, investigators confirmed 4 fatalities,” said spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe in an email Saturday.
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Authorities initially reported that two people died in the crash on Friday morning.
The single-engine Textron 208B crashed at around 9:35 a.m. on Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The aircraft went down in the middle of an unworked field in the 13600 block of U.S. Highway 2, about a half-mile from Harvey Field.
The location is difficult to access due its rough terrain with vegetation and irrigation canals, officials with Snohomish County Fire District 4 said.
Those who first arrived at the crash scene made several attempts to reach the plane with hand-held fire extinguishers, but crews were unable to get close enough to the plane to control the fire because the flames were too large and intense.
More than 2,000 feet of hose was laid down by hand and water was supplied by shuttle to contain the fire. Multiple crews and engines from agencies throughout Snohomish County responded.
Video from Chopper 7 showed firefighters putting out flames amid the wreckage and plane parts and debris scattered across the field.
Numerous fire engines and police vehicles were also seen lining the highway.
U.S. Highway 2 was closed from 88th to Westwick Road in Snohomish but has since reopened.
Smoke from the fire was reported to have been seen from about a mile away.
The plane is owned by a charter company in Alaska.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Bureau will investigate the cause of the crash.
As of Saturday afternoon, crews remained on scene to assist with evidence recovery.
