‘The worst day of their families’ lives:’ 9 missing Whidbey Island crash victims presumed dead
Sep 6, 2022, 8:18 AM | Updated: 1:38 pm
Mutiny Bay, the site of a recent plane crash west of Whidbey Island (Sam Campbell)
(Sam Campbell)
The Coast Guard has called off its search for the nine missing victims of a float plane that crashed west of Whidbey Island on Sunday afternoon.
Plane crash west of Whidbey Island kills 1, leaves 9 missing
The agency’s search and rescue team is focused on surface recovery, and the fuselage of the crashed de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter is presumed to be hundreds of feet below the water’s surface, according to Commander Xochitl Castañeda, the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for the incident.
The Coast Guard uses an “optimal planning system” to determine the likelihood of survival when crash victims are stranded in open water. Based on the water temperature around Mutiny Bay, 58 degrees Fahrenheit, search and rescue predicted the probability of survival, calling off the rescue mission at noon Monday.
Tuesday morning, the Coast Guard released the identities of the 10 people on board, 9 of whom remain missing — One woman was recovered from the scene of the crash Sunday afternoon:
Pilot Jason Winter, and passengers Patricia Hicks, Sandra Williams, Lauren Hilty, Remy Mickel (a minor), Ross Mickel, Luke Ludwig, Rebecca Ludwig, Joanne Mera, and Gabrielle Hanna.
Castañeda contacted the families of the crash victims in recent days.
“It’s always the worst day of the families’ lives when I call,” Castañeda told MyNorthwest
“They acted with incredible poise. I was proud to have the opportunity to work with them.”
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