Over Lake Meridian in Kent, disaster struck yesterday morning as a seaplane plummeted into the waters, leaving the pilot grasping for life. According to KOMO News, authorities responded posthaste to calls about the accident at 10:10 a.m., and upon arrival, the aircraft was found in a capsized state approximately 300 feet from shore.
Local police and Puget Sound Fire personnel, reinforced by the spontaneous courage of bystanders, carried out an urgent rescue operation and the pilot, discovered unconscious, received immediate CPR before being rushed to ICU at UW Medical Center with the status of critical condition. "We would like to send out our heartfelt thanks to all of the neighbors who assisted in this," Division Chief Public Information Officer for Puget Sound Fire Pat Pawlak said in a statement obtained by FOX 13 Seattle.
The seaplane, identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as a Cessna A185F. KIRO 7 reported that community members and boaters provided essential support, preventing the plane from sinking further and allowing for swifter emergency response.
The plight of the pilot, whose identity remained undisclosed. “If it wasn’t for the citizens, the community members here, helping us, it may have been a different outcome," Pat Pawlak told KIRO 7. The NTSB, FAA, and Department of Ecology are investigating the crash's cause at Lake Meridian.
