NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Seattle Seaplane Accident, Including Witness Accounts

Monday, September 19, 2022 at 09:06 AM ET

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The wreckage was located using side scan sonar, multibeam sonar, and 3D instruments. [Courtesy: University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB's preliminary report details a fatal seaplane crash near Seattle involving 10 people, with no survivors.
Flight data indicates the aircraft experienced fluctuating altitude and airspeed before entering a rapid, near-vertical descent, consistent with witness accounts.
The investigation is reviewing the pilot's experience, recent maintenance records (including a 100-hour inspection three days prior), and VFR weather conditions that included reported turbulence.
The wreckage has been located at a depth of 190 feet, and the U.S. Navy will assist with recovery efforts beginning September 26.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released the preliminary report on the fatal seaplane accident near Seattle on Labor Day weekend. The NTSB has reviewed the aircraft’s maintenance records, the experience level of the pilot, and weather at the time of the accident.

Nine adults and one child were onboard the de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter that went down September 4 in Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island. The aircraft was registered to Northwest Seaplanes, a Part 135 operation. The aircraft was on a flight between Friday Harbor Seaplane Base (W33) and Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT). It was the pilot’s second flight of the day.