OCEAN SHORES, Wash. — At 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, the Ocean Shores Fire Department (OSFD) was dispatched to an airplane crash near the Ocean Shores Municipal Airport.
A single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft was found by crews in a marshy area between the airport and North Bay, approximately 100 yards from the pavement.
According to OSFD, the location of the crash site was not accessible by emergency vehicles due to the terrain, so responding crews had to reach the site on foot.
The Ocean Shores Fire Department first reported this on Facebook around 4:28 p.m.:
Around 5:50 p.m., the City of Ocean Shores posted on Facebook that multiple local, county, and state agencies were at the scene.
People were advised to stay clear of the area including Duck Lake Drive Northeast.
According to OSFD, there was no fire but the situation was dynamic due to running fuel and two entrapped occupants. Once OSFD crews reached the occupants, they began delivering medical care to the higher-priority patient inside the plane. Authorities confirmed that this woman was extricated from the plane and onto the ground for additional care before being placed in a stokes basket and carried by crews to the airport. She was flown by Lifeflight helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
The second occupant was reportedly entrapped by the wing of the plane, requiring fire crews to perform a complicated rescue, including cutting the wing strut in several places. This man was removed from the plane approximately one hour after the crew arrived. He was also carried by basket to the airport and taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Ocean Shores Fire Department, Ocean Shores Police Department, Grays Harbor Communications, Grays Harbor County Emergency Management, Grays Harbor Fire District 7, and the Hoquiam Fire Department assisted in the rescue and extrication. By 6:30 p.m., Duck Lake Drive Northeast had reopened to traffic.
“In 47 years, both as a first responder and a chief, this was one of the most impressive calls I’ve ever been on. The smooth teamwork of our crews, including Mayor Frank Elduen and City Administrator Scott Anderson, was integral to the success of the mission. And that also extends to the police department and other agencies who responded. They gave all they had to make the rescue successful and give the best possible care to the patients,” said OSFD Assistant Chief Mike Mandella.
“For me as a chief officer, the total job satisfaction that I got was watching my crews at work. They were flawless.”
This incident will be under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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