Wash. boy killed in Alaska-registered floatplane crash

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A floatplane registered to an Alaska company crashed into a lake in Washington Saturday, killing a 6-year-old boy. The boy's identity as well as that of his father, the pilot, is unknown, but the National Transportation Safety Board says the two reside in Washington.

The plane, a Cessna T-206H registered to Juneau-Tempe Asset Management LLC in Anchorage, crashed into Lake Goodwin in Snohomish County at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Officials say one man jumped off a nearby boat into the water, swam down to the plane and cut the seat belt off the pilot. Bystanders tried to save the boy, but were unable to free him from the frigid water.

“Citizens and everybody in the area following the accident were unable to really get down underneath the water surface due to the extreme water temperature -- it was reported to be about 41 degrees,” said NTSB investigator Josh Cawthra.

The boy was submerged for about 25 minutes before rescue teams could free him. He died after he was transported to a hospital.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.

Contact Lori Tipton at ltipton@ktuu.com