SEATTLE — Officials on Friday confirmed the identities of the seven people whose bodies have been recovered after last month’s floatplane crash off Whidbey Island, including the remains that washed ashore nearly two weeks after the crash.
The remains that washed ashore at Dungeness Spit were identified this week as Patricia Hicks, according to the Clallam County Coroner’s Office. Family members were notified Thursday, Deputy Coroner Nathan Millett said.
Island County Emergency Management said the bodies of pilot Jason Winters, Sandra Williams, Ross Mickel, Luke Ludwig and Rebecca Ludwig have been found and identified. A seventh victim, Gabby Hanna, was found shortly after the crash in Mutiny Bay.
The bodies of three other floatplane crash victims have not been recovered.
Recovery operations concluded last Friday after the majority of the aircraft was recovered, National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Jennifer Gabris said. NTSB investigators are examining the wreckage at a secure facility, she added.
Remotely operated vessels plunged more than 150 feet to pull the wreckage, including the plane’s engine, to the surface.
Although recovery efforts ended last week, some of the victims’ families said they’re looking into ways a search can continue for the three people whose bodies haven’t been found.
This includes the family of Hanna and the family of Mickel, whose wife, Lauren Hilty and son Remy Mickel were also killed in the crash and whose bodies haven’t been identified. Hilty was pregnant with a baby boy they planned to name Luca.
“Until our clients’ family members have been recovered, they will struggle to find closure,” said Craig Sims, an attorney with Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, which is representing the families. “We remain thankful for the outpouring of public support for finding out the truth of what caused this tragedy.”
