Wreckage located of Puget Sound float plane crash, MN couple among those presumed dead
MINNEAPOLIS -- The wreckage of a floatplane that crashed into the waters of Washington state's Puget Sound last week has been found on the seafloor, The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
Ten people - including a married couple from Minnesota - were on the Sunday flight from Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands to the Seattle suburb of Renton when it crashed on Sept. 4.
The NTSB said the depth and motion of the water hid the wreckage for several days, The Seattle Times reported.
Sonar located a "large section" similar in length and width to the plane about 190 feet below the surface of Puget Sound near Whidbey Island, according to spokesperson Jennifer Gabris.
Investigators, the National Oceanic at Atmospheric Administration and the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory scoured a 1.75-by-0.75-mile area where witnesses said the plane had crashed.
Because of the depth and 3-5 knot currents, the NTSB is seeking a remotely operated vehicle to recover the wreckage. The NTSB had said that crash details, including the cause of the crash, couldn't be determined until more of the wreckage was found.
A family member confirmed that Luke Ludwig, 42, and his wife, Rebecca Ludwig, 42, were among those presumed dead in the plane crash. The married couple with kids lived in Excelsior; their kids are safe and with other family.
The only body that has been found was identified last week as Gabby Hanna of Seattle.