Kenmore Air canceled every scheduled flight for Friday, July 24, 2026, after Flight 140, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter with 11 people aboard, was involved in an accident near Sucia Island on Thursday evening.
The carrier’s 9:45 pm PT media statement says all 10 passengers and the pilot were accounted for, and that affected guests are being contacted about rebooking or refund options.
If you hold a Kenmore Air ticket into the San Juan Islands, Victoria, or another seaplane destination this weekend, the traveler job is immediate: confirm whether your flight still operates, use the posted rebook or refund path, and keep a ferry or land-plane backup ready until the airline restores normal flying.
- Incident: Flight 140, DHC-3 Otter, Shallow Bay near Sucia Island about 5:15 pm PT July 23.
- Aboard: Ten passengers and one pilot; Kenmore says everyone was accounted for.
- Network: All scheduled Kenmore flights canceled Friday, July 24, 2026.
- Guest action: Rebooking or refund help via airline contact and 888-435-9524.
- Investigation: Cause not confirmed; FAA review reported; Kenmore will not speculate.
What Kenmore Air confirmed
Kenmore’s first media statement, timed 7:30 pm PT on July 23, said one of its Otter aircraft on flight 140 from Lake Union in Seattle was involved in an accident in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island at about 5:15 pm
The later 9:45 pm PT update kept that core timeline and added hospital destinations plus the Friday network cancellation. Both statements say emergency responders, including the US Coast Guard and local personnel, responded immediately.
Hospital routing in the 9:45 pm update lists six passengers at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, four passengers at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor, and the pilot at Skagit Valley Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
CEO David Gudgel said the company is grateful everyone aboard was accounted for and that the immediate focus is care and support for passengers, the pilot, and families. He also thanked responders and said Kenmore is cooperating with investigating authorities.
CNN reported that the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating and that injuries reported through local partners ranged from head injuries to broken bones and lacerations, with at least one person described in critical condition during the overnight period.
CNN later cited Friday morning reporting that five passengers had already been discharged and that additional discharges were expected, while some people remained hospitalized. Treat those hospital counts as secondary updates that can change; Kenmore’s own statements remain the primary operational record for the airline network.
Kenmore explicitly will not speculate on cause. That boundary matters for travelers reading social video or early local recaps that may mix confirmed timeline facts with unverified mechanism claims.
What the Friday cancel means for island travel
Kenmore Air is not a niche scenic-only operator. The airline describes itself as the largest seaplane airline in the United States, flying more than 90,000 passengers a year on scheduled, scenic, and charter flying across Pacific Northwest and British Columbia water destinations, with Kenmore Air Express wheeled service also linking Boeing Field and the San Juans.
When that network goes dark for a full day, the impact is concentrated on people using seaplanes as timed island access, not only on same-day tourism hops. Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor, Orcas, and other water bases are summer-heavy destinations where seaplane seats often replace a multi-hour ferry chain.
Kenmore says affected Friday passengers are being contacted directly about rebooking or refund options and that guests may also call Reservations at 888-435-9524. If you have not received a message and your confirmation still shows a Friday departure, call rather than waiting for an automatic email that may lag behind the operations desk.
Saturday and later flying is not guaranteed by the Friday cancel alone. Until Kenmore posts a restored schedule or a longer suspension, treat every remaining booking as subject to same-day confirmation, especially charter and multi-leg island itineraries that depend on one aircraft turning several times.
Washington State Ferries and other marine or land connections remain the practical backup for many San Juan trips. Deep Arrival’s San Juan Island National Historical Park guide and Friday Harbor RV parks guide help replan ground nights if a seaplane seat vanishes and you stay on-island longer than planned.
Travelers using seaplanes as a last-mile link after a Seattle cruise embarkation or disembarkation should also recheck the calendar against the Seattle cruise port guide. A missed seaplane can force an overnight before the next viable ferry bank or land-plane seat.
How to decide in the next 24 to 48 hours
If your ticket was for Friday, July 24, use Kenmore’s rebook or refund path now and lock the alternate mode before peak weekend inventory fills. A free or airline-assisted rebook is only useful if the replacement seat or ferry still has capacity when you finish the call.
If your ticket is for Saturday or later this weekend, confirm status directly with Kenmore before you leave for Lake Union, Boeing Field, or an island base. Do not rely only on a confirmation email that predates Thursday night’s accident.
If you are meeting family on San Juan Island, share one backup plan in writing: ferry terminal, arrival window, and who holds the car reservation. Seaplane delays cascade into ground logistics faster than mainline jet delays because the islands have fewer same-day seats.
Package travelers who combined seaplanes with hotels, whale-watch tickets, or private transfers should contact each supplier separately. An airline rebook does not automatically move a nonrefundable island tour that starts at a fixed morning dock time.
Insurance and credit-card trip protection often treat mechanical or accident-related cancellations differently from weather. Read the policy language for airline mechanical disruption and keep Kenmore’s written cancel notice, boarding pass, and refund confirmation together.
Social video of the water landing and subsequent fire is already circulating. For booking decisions, privilege the timestamped Kenmore PDFs and your live reservation record over clipped video that cannot tell you whether Saturday’s 10 am flight still exists.
People already on the islands with open return seats should reconfirm the return leg early Friday evening if Saturday looks soft. Reverse ferry capacity out of Friday Harbor and Anacortes can tighten when air alternatives disappear.
Charter customers and multi-stop scenic itineraries should ask whether the same aircraft type and routing still apply after the investigation and fleet checks. A restored schedule can still change equipment or island order even when the route name looks familiar.
| If you are… | What to do now |
|---|---|
| Booked on Friday, July 24 Kenmore flights | Use rebook or refund contact now; assume the posted day is canceled network-wide. |
| Holding Saturday or later seaplane tickets | Call to reconfirm status and keep a ferry or land-plane backup until operations stabilize. |
| Already on San Juan Island with a return seat | Reconfirm the return flight early and pre-check ferry capacity if air options thin. |
| Connecting a cruise, hotel, or tour to a seaplane | Contact each supplier separately; airline relief does not move fixed ground products. |
| Planning a new weekend seaplane hop | Wait for restored schedule language before buying nonrefundable island activities. |
- Restored flying date: Kenmore has not yet published the next day normal operations resume.
- Investigation updates: FAA review is reported; official cause remains unconfirmed.
- Fleet and route notes: Equipment or island routing can change even after flights restart.
- Hospital and family support: Passenger condition details may update outside the airline operations channel.
The confirmed facts for travelers are narrow and actionable: a named Kenmore Otter accident on July 23, everyone aboard accounted for, a full Friday schedule cancel, and a live rebook or refund desk. Everything else, including when the seaplane network fully returns, still needs a fresh check against Kenmore’s own notices.
Were all passengers and the pilot accounted for?
Yes. Kenmore Air’s July 23 statements say there were ten passengers and one pilot on Flight 140 and that everyone aboard was accounted for after the accident near Sucia Island.
Are Kenmore Air flights operating on Friday, July 24?
No. The airline canceled all scheduled flights for Friday, July 24, 2026, while it supports passengers, the pilot, families, employees, and response efforts.
How do I rebook or get a refund?
Kenmore says affected passengers are being contacted directly and that guests may also call Reservations at 888-435-9524 for rebooking or refund help.
What aircraft and route were involved?
Kenmore identifies a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operating as flight 140 from Lake Union in Seattle, with the accident in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island about 5:15 pm PT on July 23, 2026.
Is the cause of the accident known?
Not in the airline statements. Kenmore says it will not speculate, and CNN reported that the FAA is investigating while the reason for the emergency landing remains unconfirmed.
