A small plane went down on the west side of Paine Field in Everett around 3 p.m. Thursday. The pilot, the plane's sole occupant, died in the crash, prompting first responders to swarm the area as officials scrambled to piece together what happened.
The plane crashed near Perimeter Road SW on the airport's west side, according to KIRO 7 News, which reported crews were on scene of the wreckage and that a black plume of smoke could be seen from an airport live camera. The airport posted on Facebook that people should avoid the area, per the station's report. FOX 13 Seattle reported that the pilot, the plane's sole occupant, died after the small plane crashed at Paine Field Thursday afternoon, and added that the cause of the crash is currently unknown.
Injuries Confirmed, But Details Still Scarce
Injuries Confirmed, But Details Still Scarce FOX 13 Seattle reports that the pilot was the plane's sole occupant and died. A spokesperson told mynorthwest.com, “I do not know the type or extent” of the injuries, underscoring just how little had been confirmed in the immediate aftermath. Paine Field Fire and additional fire units were dispatched to the scene, according to MyNorthwest.
First responders were on scene and the public was asked to avoid the area, per the same FOX 13 Seattle account. The ripple effects reached the airport's flight schedule almost immediately: three flights were delayed, and one arriving flight was diverted to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the wake of the crash.
A Airport With a Recent History of Small-Plane Trouble
Thursday's crash is not the first time a small aircraft has gone down near Paine Field. In February 2024, a Cessna 150 crashed in the wooded Japanese Gulch area about a half-mile north of the airport in Mukilteo, according to The Daily Herald. The pilot, the only person aboard that flight, declined medical aid and survived without serious injury.
In that 2024 incident, the flight club president said the apparent cause was a mechanical issue that caused the plane to lose power, the Herald reported. It also took nearly an hour for first responders from Mukilteo, Everett and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to locate the crashed Cessna given its remote landing spot. There is no indication in current reporting that Thursday's crash shares a cause with that earlier incident, and officials have not released any findings on what brought Thursday's plane down.
As of Thursday evening, the cause of the latest crash remained unknown, and the story was still developing, with MyNorthwest noting it would continue to update the account as new details emerged. KIRO 7 also reported on the crash.
