The National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday that the wreckage of a floatplane that fell into the waters of Washington state’s Puget Sound last week had been discovered on the ocean bottom.
According to the NTSB, the debris was concealed for many days by the water’s depth and velocity, according to The Seattle Times.
According to spokeswoman Jennifer Gabris, sonar discovered a “huge chunk” of the Puget Sound at Whidbey Island that was roughly 190 feet (58 metres) below the water’s surface and comparable in size to the plane’s length and breadth.
The location where witnesses said the jet crashed was surveyed by investigators, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory.
The NTSB is seeking a remotely controlled vehicle to remove the debris due to the depth and 3-5 knot currents. The NTSB had said that additional wreckage would need to be located in order to ascertain accident facts, including the cause of the incident.
On Sunday, September 4, ten passengers were on board the aircraft from Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands to Renton, a suburb of Seattle. The lone corpse discovered so far has been identified as Seattle resident Gabby Hanna, who disappeared last week.
Actress and musician Megan Hilty said that the other passengers included her sister, brother-in-law, and small nephew.
In addition to posting pictures of her sister Lauren Hilty, brother-in-law Ross Mickel, and their baby Remy on Instagram last week, the performer, who is well-known for her work on several TV series and Broadway musicals, also posted a statement about the incident.
Off the edge of Whidbey Island, a tiny float aircraft crashed into Puget Sound on Sunday afternoon, according to Hilty. Ross, my brother-in-law, and my little nephew Remy were on the flight, along with my dear sister Lauren.
The actress also said that her sister was expecting a child; the child, who would have been called Luca, was due next month, according to their family.