The Sucia Island seaplane crash left all eleven people aboard injured but alive Thursday evening, and the operator confirmed Friday that the pilot had altered his route to steer clear of a thunderstorm shortly before the aircraft went down. What actually caused the accident remains unresolved.

The Kenmore Air floatplane struck a rocky stretch of shoreline on Sucia Island, a state park sitting north of the main cluster of the San Juan Islands near the Canadian border. Witnesses described the plane passing low over sailboats and other vessels moments before impact. Boaters in the area and a helicopter crew reached the scene almost immediately, and everyone aboard was transported to hospitals.

The Condition of Those Aboard

By Friday afternoon, three passengers were still hospitalized, all listed in satisfactory condition. The pilot had already been discharged.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reported that the injuries included head trauma, fractures and lacerations. Given how the aircraft came down and what happened afterward, the outcome could easily have been far worse.

The incident follows another seaplane mishap less than three weeks earlier, when an aircraft carrying eight people made a hard landing in New York City’s East River and caused minor injuries.

What the Videos Show

Footage circulating on social media captured the final seconds. The plane can be seen banking to one side as it skims low above the water near several boats and the shoreline. It touches down hard, initially on a single float, bounces briefly back into the air, then strikes land.

In subsequent video, passengers can be seen climbing out as dark smoke begins rising from the aircraft. Within a short time, flames engulfed the fuselage, which ended up partially submerged against a large rock.

A Chaotic Rescue on the Water

Dave Eastman was out in a dinghy when the plane came into view. His first fear was that it might hit his own boat. Then he watched it descend toward the island instead.

He estimated six or seven vessels were nearby, and said everyone in the area immediately turned toward the crash site to help. The suddenness of it stayed with him — he described the group as shaken, though relieved once it became clear everyone had survived.

Eastman, who lives in Lynnwood, Washington, said the day had begun with pleasant conditions. A lightning storm rolled through right around the time of the crash, and heavy rain started falling while the wreckage burned.

Multiple agencies responded quickly. The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter while Canadian authorities sent a hovercraft, according to San Juan County dispatch audio archived by Broadcastify. Coast Guard video later showed a man being hoisted from a boat into an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, his right leg secured in a splint.

The plane went down close to Shallow Bay, a broad crescent-shaped inlet near a campground on an island known for its tangle of coves, beaches and rocky headlands.

An Aircraft With a Complicated Recent History

Kenmore Air identified the aircraft as a DHC-3 Otter built by de Havilland Aircraft of Canada.

That model carries a difficult association in the region. In 2022, an Otter operated by a different company crashed into Puget Sound northwest of Seattle, killing all ten people aboard. Federal regulators subsequently ordered inspections across the seaplane fleet, and investigators traced that accident to the failure of a single component within a critical flight control system.

Aviation safety expert John Cox described the Otter as a durable, widely used workhorse that has served operators for decades. Kenmore Air, founded in 1946 and based near Seattle, describes itself as the largest seaplane operator in the country.

The airline said the aircraft was current on maintenance, with its most recent 100-hour inspection completed on June 25.

The Flight Path Raises Questions

Data from the tracking service Flightradar24 shows the seaplane executing an abrupt 180-degree turn roughly three minutes before the crash, reversing back toward Sucia Island after having already passed it heading west.

Kenmore Air confirmed that weather was a factor in that maneuver, stating that a system was moving through the area and the pilot adjusted course in response. The company declined to speculate further about the cause.

The flight had departed from Lake Union in Seattle, about 80 miles south, bound for Roche Harbor on San Juan Island — a destination anchored by a historic hotel, marina and resort that draws heavy summer traffic.

CEO David Gudgel said the company was grateful everyone aboard had been accounted for. Kenmore canceled all remaining scheduled flights for Friday and said it is cooperating with investigators.

What Investigators Will Examine

Cox suggested the National Transportation Safety Board may develop an early picture relatively quickly. Unlike many aviation accidents, this one left investigators with unusually rich material: a surviving pilot who can be interviewed, numerous eyewitnesses on the water, and multiple видео recordings of the final approach from different angles.

The wreckage was recovered and loaded onto a barge by Friday afternoon, allowing physical examination of the airframe and flight controls. The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report in about a month, with a full determination of probable cause typically taking a year or longer.

Investigators will likely focus on the interaction between the weather and the aircraft’s handling. Thunderstorms produce downdrafts, sudden wind shifts and microbursts capable of overwhelming a light aircraft flying at low altitude — precisely the regime a floatplane occupies while maneuvering near a shoreline.

Why the San Juans Depend on These Flights

The San Juan Islands form a rugged archipelago between Washington state and British Columbia, popular in summer for ferry trips, whale watching and hiking. Seaplanes are woven into the practical fabric of life there, cutting a multi-hour ferry journey down to a short hop.

That utility comes with inherent exposure. Floatplanes operate low, land on open water, and frequently fly in mountainous coastal conditions where weather can shift within minutes. The safety record over the decades is generally strong, but the margin for error in bad conditions is narrow.

For now, eleven people walked away from a burning aircraft on a rocky shore — an outcome that owes a great deal to the boaters who were close enough to reach them within minutes.