Plane goes down in Discovery Bay; pilot unharmed, reports say

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 24, 2017

DISCOVERY BAY — A Port Ludlow man emerged apparently unscathed from a small plane crash in Discovery Bay on Tuesday.

Jeffrey Dow was flying the plane with no passengers aboard, according to the Coast Guard.

Dow refused aid by East Jefferson Fire-Rescue personnel, according to Bill Beezley, public information officer for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.

Several callers reported a small red plane down in Discovery Bay just after 2:30 p.m., Beezley said.

The plane was floating roughly 200 feet offshore just down from milepost 2.5 on state Highway 20.

The first to respond to the wreck was a commercial shellfish vessel, which rescued Dow, who was able to extract himself from the wreck, Beezley said.

The commercial vessel, which was more of a raft, towed the partially submerged plane to shallower waters, Beezley said.

The plane was a Beech E-17L, a single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft currently registered in Port Hadlock, Beezley said.

The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, he said.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue responded with two ambulances, a fire engine and a rescue boat. The Coast Guard also responded by boat, and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies were on the scene with one vehicle.

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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.