Two airplanes carrying at least eight people collided above an Idaho lake on Sunday, crashing into 127 feet of water. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that there were no survivors.
One of the planes, a floatplane operated by a tour service, carried five passengers, including three children, and a pilot, the sheriff’s office said.
The other plane was carrying at least two people, the sheriff’s office said.
The bodies of three victims had been recovered as of Monday night from Lake Coeur d’Alene, the office said.
The sheriff’s office said it had identified five of the six passengers on the tour plane: Pilot Neil Lunt, 58, Sean K. Fredrickson, 48, a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy. The children were all children and step children of Fredrickson, the sheriff’s office said. The sixth person on board has yet to be identified.
Fredrickson was the Pacific Northwest PGA Section President.
The section posted this message on its website on Monday:
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our friend and President Sean Fredrickson yesterday in a plane crash in Coeur d’ Alene. Sean was an incredible father, husband, PGA Professional, mentor, and leader. There are never words to communicate the pain of such a loss. Whether through prayer or quiet reflection, please hold Sean and his family in your hearts. A rising star in the PGA, Sean led the Section through an unprecedented time, first taking the reins a year early as President and then leading us wisely through this pandemic. We are all better because of Sean’s leadership over the past twelve years.
The two passengers of the other plane have been identified but their next of kin were still being contacted.
Witnesses told authorities that the two planes collided then crashed into the lake around Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.
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“All of a sudden out of nowhere, a huge, big eruption of flames. It’s like a full fireball flame in the sky,” Angie Bishop told KREM, describing the scene. “And my friend and I are just standing there you could just see debris falling with it and you can tell it was obviously an airplane in the sky. But it fell to the ground and a huge loud noise followed it.”
Authorities said the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash and multiple law enforcement and first responder agencies were on site Sunday, including U.S. Coast Guard units.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the planes involved were a Cessna TU206G and a de Havilland DHC-2.
The sheriff’s office said Brooks Seaplanes of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which operates scenic flights over the lake, was operating one of the planes. The tour group declined to comment to USA TODAY.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.